Draco Malfoy and the Irritating Turban
by GallifreyRises
Summary: Book One of Draco Malfoy and the Ministry of Death. Twist on the Reptilia28 Challenge. Hopefully a bit more interesting. After his death, Draco Malfoy was informed that he completely sucked at fulfilling his destiny, given another chance to get things right, he accepts it, and finds himself with the most daunting mission of all time, befriend Harry Potter.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Oh, and the case manager belongs to Rick Riordan.

A/N: My only problem with Reptilia28's challenge is Harry Potter knows too much about the original time line. Thus he quickly becomes overpowered and the story becomes boring. The only way I can think of to remedy this is to choose a different character to go back in time and make changes. The most interesting character in my opinion to do this with is Draco Malfoy. So this book will follow canon, except Draco Malfoy died in the last battle. So without further ado, Draco Malfoy and the Ministry of Death.

Prologue

Draco Malfoy was confused. It wasn't something that occurred often. Twice in recent memory had that occurred. The first time when Potter chose to reject his hand of friendship. The second time was when that Mudblood Granger punched him in the face. So to say it took a lot to confuse him was an understatement. He was the only Death Eater in history to smuggle several Death Eaters to Hogwarts, and start a chain of events that would result in Dumbledork's death. He was Slytherin to the bones. He should not be confused.

What was he confused about? Seconds ago, he was fighting in the final battle. Next thing he knew, he was in some square room with no windows. A boy about fourteen years old walked into the room. He had black hair and black eyes. His skin was ghostly pale, and he wore an aviator jacket. He looked at Draco, and shook his head.

"At least you're not Potter," the boy said.

"Do you know who I am?" Draco demanded.

"Yes, Draco Malfoy. Boy who completely and utterly failed in his destiny. Oh, welcome to the Ministry of Death. I am Nico di Angelo, your case manager. I would ask you if you have any complaints, but I'd rather not hear 'wait till my father hears about this.' Want some tea, we have a lot to cover." said Nico.

"I don't believe you. I've never heard of the Ministry of Death." said Draco.

"Of course not! You've never been dead before! My father doesn't exactly like to advertise our existence. It would ruin his reputation." Nico replied exasperatedly.

"Your father?"

"Oh yes. Hades, god of precious metals and the underworld, king of the dead, joy kill at birthday parties, he who told me at age five that Santa Clause was in Tartarus for his crimes, et cetera, et cetera. But we're not here to discuss my father. We're here to discuss what your destiny should have been, and how you failed at it so completely, my father actually granted you a second chance to get it right. You will not get a third chance. Do you understand me?"

"I'm a Slytherin. Of course I do."

"Good. Your destiny was simple. Help Harry, in every way possible. Make sure he survives. End up with your soul mate, some girl called Granger, and bring equality to the wizarding world. Do you understand?"

"What? Granger is my soul mate? But she's a mudblood! Supposing I believe you, why would I want to help Potter? He is a Mudblood loving fool," Draco said.

"And so are you, so I'd stop using that term. To answer your question, you want to help him because, if you do this, you will have a second chance. Say yes, you get to live again. Say no, and you go directly to the Fields of Punishment. Your choice."

"What kind of choice is that?"

"A simple one I should hope."

'I'll do it."

"Splendid. I have a contract for you to sign. You can't go back without it. It will allow you your memories. But it will also remove any enchantments impairing your mind, and it's magically binding. The only rule I have for you is to not mention the Ministry of Death to anyone, save your soul mate, when you actually get with her, nor will you put the Ministry of Death in a fanfiction."

"What's a fanfiction?"

"Something disturbing that muggles are obsessed with. Now sign."

Nico di Angelo then opened his desk, and pulled out a file. He handed it to Draco.

"Quick question before I sign. If you are the son of Hades, why are you working for him?"

"I brought honor to the house of Hades, so in return he made me his heir. He really wants to retire, but he can't until I know exactly how the Ministry of Death works. If you succeed, father steps down, and I am king, but fail, and I'll have to row a barge on the river Styx for the rest of my life. So don't fail me, or I shall make your afterlife a living hell. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"Good."

At that Draco Malfoy signed his name on the contract. Then, all he felt was pain. All he saw was black.

A/N: I just realized how bad the prologue is, however, seeing as it's a twist on the Reptilia23 challege, that's how people expect the beginning to be. Next chapter will be better


	2. When Harry Met Draco

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I have however, pulled some things directly from the text, as I highly doubt Draco's presence would change some occurrences. Whenever possible, however, I changed it. So, some identical to JK, some my own words. So, enjoy reading.

When Harry Met Draco

Draco Malfoy opened his eyes. He appeared to be in his bedroom. That hopefully meant that he was in the past, and it worked. However, there was only one way for him to know. He walked over to his mirror, and looked into it. He looked around ten. Good. That meant it worked. Malfoy closed his eyes, and began to plot. Then, there was a knock on his door.

"Draco, your going to be late to your birthday party!" said a familiar voice.

"Coming mother," Draco shouted through the house.

It was his eleventh birthday. That meant, he'd be getting his Hogwart's letter. Which meant that he had a month to plot Voldemort's downfall. And of course make back up plans. After all, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Then there was so much that he didn't know. He knew first year involved chess, the use of cold logic under pressure, standing up to friends, and lovie dovie bullshit. Dumbles and his favoritism. That would have to be averted.

Days past and turned into weeks, and turned into a month, until it was Potter's birthday. Finally. Hogwarts shopping, and his wand. Oh, Draco missed his wand. It took every ounce of restraint he not to force his father to take him to Diagon Alley before today. Why did he wait? Because, in the original timeline he met Potter the day he went to get his school supplies, where he promptly made an ass of himself. Draco intended to make a better first impression.

Draco's father went to get his books, and his mother went to get his potion's supplies, which left him alone with Madam Malkin. He was getting sized, when the bell rang, and Potter walked in. Potter had that same obnoxiously messy, jet black hair, and the same olive colored eyes. He was wearing, oddly enough, rags, about twenty sizes too big. He was pitifully small. If Draco hadn't known this was the most powerful wizard in the world, he wouldn't have thought very much of him, probably why Draco got such a bad first impression. Looking at him, Draco would have guessed abuse, but what monsters would abuse the boy who lived? Wait for your cue, and don't be a dick. Then he heard it.

"Hogwarts, dear?" Madam Malkin said, "Got the lot here. Another young an being fitted up now, in fact."

Don't be a dick, don't be a dick. You need Potter to be your friend. So don't be a dick.

"Hello. Hogwarts too?" Draco stated as a question. Yes, a very non-dick question.

"Yes," said Harry.

"So, what house do you reckon you'll be in?"

"What?" Potter asked. For gods sake, what was he? Raised by Muggles?

"Oh. Hogwarts is divided into four houses. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each student is sorted into the house they best exemplify. Gryffindor courage, Ravenclaw smarts, Hufflepuff loyalty, and Slytherin cunning. All houses are good, though personally, I'm hoping for Gryffindor or Slytherin." Draco said. Then, Draco saw out of the window, the big oaf, Hagrid. "Who's he?"

"That's Hagrid."

"Wait, why's he with you if you don't mind me asking?"

"He gave me my letter."

"That doesn't make sense. Hagrid doesn't go to tell kids they've got magic. Hogwarts usually sends Professor McGonagall or Professor Snape." That's right, ask the right questions, but don't be a dick about it.

"I think he's brilliant." Potter said.

Before Draco could think of a non-dick response to the question, Madam Malkin popped back in.

"That's you done."

"Good-bye, um what's your name?" Potter asked.

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. No need to tell me yours Harry."

"You recognized me? Why didn't you mention?"

"You are famous because you are alive, and your parents are not. You probably don't even remember it. So I didn't think you'd appreciate the reminder."

"You were right."

"Care to come with me to pick up my wand?"

"Sure."

"Excellent. Come along. Ollivander's is right there."

Draco and Potter walked out of the shop, when they were met by Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother.

"Draco, ready to pick up your wand?" asked Narcissa.

"Yes. Oh, and Harry's coming with us. I thought he might like the company," Draco said.

"I'm sure he would. Besides, we're technically family."

"We are?"

"Oh yes. James Potter's mother, Dorea was my great-aunt."

Then, before they could continue, the oaf walked up.

"All right Harry. Just yer wand left-oh yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present." said oaf. Draco found that his opinion of the oaf hadn't changed. The oaf was still a stupid savage who gets drunk and sets his bed on fire when he tries to use magic. However, the oaf was friends with Potter, and Draco needed to stay close to Potter, thus keep Potter out of Nico's office, and hopefully help Potter beat the Dark Lord.

"You don't have to-"

"I know I don't have to. Tell you what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd get laughed at-and I don't like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail and everything."

Hagrid walked away, while Potter and the Malfoys went to get wands.

Ollivander's was exactly as Draco remembered it. It was a small dusty place, with a really really high ceiling. A bell rang from somewhere in the store. Draco could sense the magic that was in this place, and it was making his hair stand on end. He couldn't believe it. He was getting his wand back. His hawthorn wand. Oh how he missed that wand. How he hated Potter when Potter took it from him, the stupid thief.

"Aw. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, I thought I'd be seeing you here. Sold your parents there wands. Narcissa, how marvelous to see you. Elm and unicorn hair. 13 inches. Bit bendy. Rather more useful for charms. Your husband, if I remember correctly, Oak and dragon heartstring. Very firm wand. 8 and a quarter inches."

'Yes. That's correct," Narcissa said.

"Harry, it seems like just yesterday, when I sold your mother her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, make of willow. Nice wand for charm work. Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it, but it's really the wand that chooses the wizard. So who's going first?"

"I am," said Draco.

He had a funny feeling that it would take forever for Potter to find his wand, and he didn't want to wait an unnecessarily long time to get his hawthorn wand. Draco's eyes found it, but Ollivander seemed to have a fondness for not grabbing it. He seemed to hand Draco every other one in the shop. Draco played a good sport, gave them all a wave, but each one he took immediately. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Draco was handed the wand he'd been missing. The hawthorn wand, and it felt even better in his hand than he remembered. His hand felt warm, and the deal was sealed. Then, Potter was next.

"Well, now Mr. Potter. Let me see." Mr. Ollivander pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket." Which is your wand arm?"

"Er, well, I'm right handed," said Potter.

"Hold out your arm. That's it," Ollivander said. The tape measure started measuring Potter. As Potter was being measured Ollivander said," Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quiet the same. And of course you'll never get such good results with another wizards wand."

Then Ollivander started the long process of finding Potter a wand. It took forever. The stacks of wands were growing higher and higher. And the longer it took, the happier Ollivander seemed to be.

"Tricky customer, eh? Don't worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere. Hm, I wonder, now. Yes, why not, unusual combination, holly and phoenix feather. Eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry grabbed it, and sparks came from it. Draco clapped like he was expected to, and Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious."

He put Potter's wand back into it's box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious."

Draco was starting to wonder what was so curious, evidently Potter was to.

"Sorry," said Potter, "but what's curious?"

Ollivander fixed Potter with his pale stare.

"I remember every wand I ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather-just one. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when it's brother- why it's brother gave you that scar."

Draco wondered why he was not surprised. Was this the earliest indication that Voldemort would return, or was this a coincidence? Oh well, it probably didn't matter. It would also probably be better if that news didn't spread, or people would be lining up proclaiming Potter as the next dark lord. However, Ollivander wasn't finished yet.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must all expect great things from you Mr. Potter... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things-terrible yes, but great."

Draco noticed that Potter couldn't seem to leave fast enough for his liking. Then, Draco pulled Potter aside.

"It would probably be best that your wand's connection with the Dark Lord's remains a secret."

"Why?"

"Because the wizarding world is full of followers and sheep. The knowledge that the Boy-Who-Lived's wand shares a connection with the Dark Lord's will have them proclaiming you as the next dark lord. Just, don't tell anyone okay."

"Okay."

"Let's go rejoin my mother and Hagrid."

When they rejoined his mother and Hagrid, Hagrid was carrying a snowy owl, which Potter promptly named Hedwig. Harry and Draco decided to write, and they parted ways.

To list everything that happed in between them parting ways, and the Hogwarts express would take a long and very boring book, so here are the highlights.

-Harry and Draco exchanged some letters. In which Draco found out that Potter was living with muggles. Draco found that difficult to swallow. Oddly enough, Draco was also finding that he was referring to Potter as Harry in his head. Not Potter in the original time line, this Harry. Draco also found out that Harry didn't know how to get on Platform 9 ¾. Draco told him how to get on, and mentioned how irregular it was not to be told how to get on the Platform. Not like an a-hole though.

-Draco started searching for the diary. The Dark Lord was furious when he discovered it had been taken, so it must have some value to it. The attacks also ended the same time Potter destroyed the diary, so deductive reasoning indicated that the diary opened the Chamber of Secrets. He wanted to avoid opening the chamber this time around, but, sadly he was having no luck finding the diary.

-Draco started exchanging long letters with his godfather Sev. These letters ranged from mundane to outright lies, but he needed to find out where Severus' loyalties lay. He wanted to know why both Bumbledork and the Dark Lord were absolutely convinced that Severus was completely loyal to the cause, despite the fact that they knew he was a spy on the other side. Fifteen letters later, and he still had no idea. He didn't expect to immediately. He was playing for the long game. He also let slip that Harry Potter may have been abused by his Uncle Vernon and his Aunt Petunia.

-He started to send Dolores Umbitch fried pies. Two of them a week. He hoped that in five years, her heart would give out, and she would never become Hogwarts Educational Inquisitor. The words I must not tell lies would never appear on Harry's hand. Harry would not be delayed from getting to the Ministry, and Sirius Black would not die.

-He started to write to Sirius. He wanted to know exactly how Peter Pettigrew framed Sirius, so he could work on clearing Sirius' name. That way, when Draco's loyalties were revealed, Draco would have a place to live where his father wouldn't kill him.

-He started to look into the Potter bloodline. He wasn't getting very far with his limited human resources, but next time he went to Diagon Alley with Harry, he'd take Harry to get a bloodline test.

-Lastly he started the very gradual transfer of his trust-fund to a personal account. Every knut out of the Dark Lord's hands was a good knut.

Omake 1

Severus Snape looked at the letter his godson sent him, and scowled. How dare they...How Dare they. HOW DARE THEY LEAVE LILY EVAN'S SON WITH PETUNIA DURSLEY! This called for some drastic measures. He was going to have to leave his home for a week. Can't be rushed, because this would be taken care of with precision, and great care. Petunia, if he remembered correctly was a coward, and absolutely terrified of magic. Vermin, oh, Vernon, however, was a loose cannon. Should probably remove him from the equation, but justifiably. A disappearance, not a murder. Now that he thought about it, Severus had quite the fondness for ham, and happened to be quite skilled at transfiguration. Not that that mattered. Then, a couple of memory charms to be safe. This time tomorrow, he'd be eating pork. Mmm, pork chops.


	3. The Ferret, the Weasel, and the Rat

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Everything except the idea belongs to JK Rowling. And even the idea barely belongs to me, it is just an edited version of Reptilia28's challenge to make it more interesting. There is some taking directly from the words of JK, however, it is significantly shorter in this version. Oh, and I should probably credit Scotland Evander, as technically he did this twist first, but as it's necessary, and the twist is done with the only character this makes sense with, I have little choice but to do as he did. Now without further ado, Chapter Three.

A/N: Cookies to anybody who can spot the reference to Doctor Who. Another cookie to anybody who can find the reference to Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Cake to anybody who can find both.

Chapter 3: The Ferret, the Weasel, and the Rat.

Seeing Lucius Malfoy in muggle clothing was an unusual sight. It was like seeing Bumbledork without a lemon drop giving an absurdly, ungodly, and completely unfairly large amount of House Points to Gryffindor for playing chess, some logic, and lovie dovie bullshit. Yeah, he was still bitter about that. So why was Lucius Malfoy wearing muggle clothing today? Because, they were at Kings Cross, headed to the Hogwarts Express. Headed to Hogwarts again.

So the only question remaining was: why was Draco shaking like a chicken? Because he was starting to get worried that the Hat wouldn't sort him twice. Draco was pretty certain that the Hat could still put him in Slytherin. His ambitions included rewriting history, and destroying a Dark Lord. He was cunning enough for this to actually be a possibility. Unfortunately all plans would be destroyed soon, because he was working on incomplete information. So he was certain he could be put back into Slytherin where he had the resources to put several of his plans into action. He wasn't, however, certain the Hat would sort him again. Time travelers, after all, had never been sorted before. However, he'd have to worry about that later.

So, he went through the barrier, and once again saw the Hogwarts Express. Then, Draco walked away from his parents. He needed to find Harry. He needed to befriend Granger and Longbottom. Granger was apparently his soul mate, and she was the brains of the Golden Trio. Longbottom might not have started out as much, but from fifth year on, he became a force to be reckoned with. All three tasks were impossible with his father with him. His sneering Death Muncher father. His father who bowed to a psychopathic ass-hole. His father, a known dark wizard. His father who bribed his way to freedom. His father who would go back to the Dark Lord the second the Dark Lord returned. His father, his enemy. His mother, a wild card. They would stand in the way of what needed to be done.

Then, he saw Harry standing there, looking quite lost really. Draco made his way to Harry.

"You doing alright, Harry?"

"Yeah. Is it common to see witches talking about muggles loudly around a bunch of muggles?"

"No. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, that muggle-shouty woman then asked what the platform number was, even though she was obviously walking directly towards the platform."

"That's odd. Nobody forgets the platform number. It's the third most unforgettable number."

"Third? What are the first two?"

"The second is three point one four, and the first is forty-two."

"Why forty-two?"

"Most things in the universe seem to end up at forty-two. Now let's go find an empty compartment."

One curious thing about the Hogwarts Express that most seem to forget about is the infinite space feature placed in by Headmaster Dippet in the days before Dumbledore. That is why Draco was a tad bit surprised when the Weasel popped into their compartment.

"Anyone sitting there? Everywhere else is full," the Weasel said.

"Go ahead. Sit. I don't want your legs to fail when I tell you how I know you to be a liar," Draco replied to the idiotic Weasel. That's right, don't be an asshole, but don't befriend the weasel either. Other wise, the Weasel might just teach Harry some bad habits. Draco watched as the Weasel sat down.

"He was lying? He sounded honest to me," Harry said.

"Oh, he was full of Dragon shit. So, shall you admit you were lying and tell why you are really here, or shall I prove you were lying and make you tell us why you are really here."

"That sounds like something a Malfoy would say," the Weasel said.

Oh, Pettigrew was in the Weasel's pocket. Plus, the Weasel gave Draco the perfect opening to start making Pettigrew very nervous. Draco would let the rat be for a while, but the rat would suspect Draco of knowing everything, which thanks to the letters with Sirius Black, Draco did.

"Not really. My father is more concerned with covering up lies and crimes than the exposure of them. After all, at the end of the day, he is a dirty rat. Kind of like the rat who betrayed the Potters," said Draco.

"You mean Sirius Black?" said the Weasel.

"No, I don't believe Black betrayed the Potters. I have a different suspect."

"Who?" asked Harry.

"Well, first question, who amongst your father's friends liked being in the company of powerful men to protect him? Peter Pettigrew. Second question, Pettigrew was a known coward. So, why did he go against every instinct he had, go against his very soul, to attack Black. My crazy theory is, Pettigrew betrayed the Potters, Black would be one of the five people in the world to know this, and the only one other than Pettigrew still standing. Black leaves Harry here to go where ever Harry went. Then, Black goes after Pettigrew to get revenge for the betrayal. Pettigrew realizes he's about to die, cuts off his finger, shouts Black betrayed Potter, blasts a curse, and disappears. When the Aurors arrive, Black is laughing his head off because cowardly little Pettigrew got away, and nobody knows that Black is innocent.

"That's crazy, everybody knows that Black is guilty, besides, if Pettigrew was alive, which he's not, then where is he?"

At this Draco looked directly at the rat and said, "If I were Pettigrew I'd find a way to disguise myself, and live with a wizarding family, that way if the Dark Lord were to return, I could make my glorious return"

Draco was amused to see the rat was shaking like a leaf on a tree. However, the time to grab Pettigrew was not here. That would come later. Now, he had to deal with the Weasel problem, while making sure Pettigrew didn't escape.

"However, we are not here to talk about conspiracy theories. We are here to play a game of how do I know a Weasley is lying, and why are you really here. Shall I start or shall you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." said the Weasel.

"Here's a hint. You said everywhere else is full. However, there is an infinite space feature on this train, which means it is impossible for everywhere else to be full. So, why are you really here?"

"I just wanted to meet Harry Potter."

"Oh, you wanted to meet the Golden Boy? Go look in a book. You'll find they're all fiction."

The candy lady came, Harry bought some Chocolate Frogs, and got several cards, including Albus Dumbledork. Harry read the back of the card for a moment. Then, against all odds, Neville Longbottom stumbled into the compartment.

"I've lost my toad. Have you seen it?" Longbottom said.

"Give me a moment, sit down, I'll have your toad here in moments," Draco said.

"Thanks," said Longbottom.

Draco then pulled out his wand. He was about to use a summoning charm, when Hermione Granger walked into the compartment. Her hair was bushier than he remembered it being. Her teeth, even more buck toothed. However, this time around, he had to admit, she wasn't bad looking.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one, oh hello Neville," Hermione said. Her voice was bossier than he remembered it being. Or was that his imagination.

"I was getting ready to summon it," Draco said.

"Really! Let's see it then," Hermione said.

"What's the toad's name?" Draco said.

"Trevor...why?"

"Because if I don't use a name, the spell I'm using would summon every toad in the train. Accio Trevor the Toad. Give it a moment, he might be a good distance away." Draco said.

Then, moments later, Trevor the Toad flew into Draco's hand. He handed the formerly flying toad to Neville, the formerly toadless boy.

"I didn't see that spell in any of our books! I'm going to be so behind I just know it!"

"Calm down. I only know it because I used to lose my parchment. Then I would spend hours trying to find it. It was so much easier to make my father use a summoning spell. I watched him do it so many times, I knew it by heart. Wait, how do you know you didn't see it in any of our books?"

"Because I spent the summer learning our course books by heart."

"You memorized the course books?" the Weasel asked, obviously appalled.

"Wait, memorized? Word for word? Or is it just you know what the books say," Draco asked.

"Word for word?" Hermione said.

"Do you by chance, have a photographic memory?"

"Yes. But please don't tease me about it!"

"Why would I tease you about having the most useful ability in the world? I mean seriously, being able to remember everything. I wish I could do that!"

"The name's Hermione Granger."

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

At this for some reason Hermione and Harry started grinning like idiots.

"Potter, Harry Potter."

"Are you really. I know all about you, of course- I got a few extra book for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"I know. Draco sent me them. I found them to be hilariously inaccurate, almost as hilarious as Harry Potter and the Vampires of Venice Verses Royal Werewolves of London.. Complete fiction." Harry said.

Then, something very odd happened. Something he wasn't expecting to happen. Theodore Nott walked into the compartment. On his left was Crabbe, and on his right was Goyle. Henchmen 1 and 2. His old minions.

"Is it true?" He said, "They're saying all along the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

Oh, god, that was exactly what Draco said in the last time line. Did he really sound like such a pompous asshole? No wonder Potter rejected his hand of friendship in the previous time line.

"Yes."

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle. The name's Nott, Theodore Nott."

God, watching this was absolutely hilarious. Nott's entire personality seemed to be sucked out of his body, and replaced with his own. He couldn't resist laughing.

"Think my name's funny Draco? Look at you, and the company you keep. Muggleborns and Blood-traitors. Don't think I don't recognize the red-head. Red hair, freckles, hand-me-down clothes, and more children than they can afford, it doesn't take a genius to recognize a Weasley. And you befriended him? You're a disgrace to your family's name."

"Not bad Nott. Three out of four. I am friends with Harry. I am friends with a Muggleborn. In my father's eyes, I am definitely a disgrace. However, I am not, nor will I ever be, friends with Weasley. He came here with a lie, and has not apologized for said lie, nor does he see himself as having been in the wrong. I let him sit here, so I could show him where he went wrong, and allow him the opportunity to bring some honor to him house, which he then threw away. If Harry wishes to befriend Weasley, I won't hold it against him, but I won't share that friendship."

Then, Nott did the most hilarious thing ever. Nott turned towards Harry and said, "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go around making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

At that Nott extended his hand to Harry. Harry then, turned towards Nott.

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thank you."

Go Harry.

"I'd be a bit careful, Potter. Unless you're a bit politer you'll have the same end as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around riffraff like Muggleborns and the Weasleys, and it'll rub off on you."

Before Harry and Ron could get up like they were currently getting ready to do, Draco spoke up.

"Not very Slytherin, Nott."

"What do you mean, Not very Slytherin?"

"Slytherin is the house of the cunning. You made two mistakes by saying that."

"And what were those?"

"First, you showed your hand as a Death Eater supporter. Second, Harry is the last, and by default, Head of the Ancient and Most Noble house of Potter, and you just pissed him off. Not very cunning at all. I'd start respecting those above your station, Scion of the Lesser House of Nott."

Oddly enough it seemed as if Nott ran out of things to say. Nott walked away and Crabbe and Goyle walked away with him. Then, Harry turned towards him.

"That was brilliant!"

"I know."

"What did you mean, Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter?"

"It means your family fulfills the requirements to become an Ancient and Most Noble House."

"What are those requirements?"

"There are families like the Weasley's who have been practicing Magic since before the Romans came to Britain, bringing Christianity with it. They are Ancient Houses because so few of them survived the subsequent slaughter of wizards and witches. Then there are families like mine, who have not had less than 1000 galleons in their vaults in at least ninety generations. Those are the Noble Houses. Then there are those who fit both requirements. Then there are the Most Noble Houses, who have had at least 3000 galleons in their vaults in at least fifty generations. Then there are the elite houses in our society. The thirteen most powerful houses in Britain. The houses that fit the requirements to be Ancient and Most Noble. They are the ones with a seat on the Wizengambot Chamber. When Harry turns seventeen, he will be able to take a seat on the Wizengambot Chamber, I will not. Understood?"

Hermione and Harry nodded, while Ron groaned.

"I'm too hungry to understand."

"There is going to be a giant feast after we get sorted. Can you at least wait to eat until after the Sorting?" said Draco.

"How do we get sorted anyways? I've memorized hundreds of books about Hogwarts, and not one of them talks about the Sorting."

"It's not something we're supposed to know."

"Fred and George were going on and on about wrestling a troll."

"Yes, it'll totally be a troll. Are you completely thick? The teacher's would never let a troll in Hogwarts!" Draco informed the Weasel.

"You KNOW how we're sorted don't you Draco?" Hermione enquired.

"Maybe, but if I do, I'm not telling," said Draco.

"What house are you hoping to get into?" Hermione asked.

"Either Gryffindor or Slytherin."

"But every single Dark Wizard was in Slytherin," the Weasel said. Draco was starting to think that the Weasel wasn't callous and arrogant, he was just ignorant. If this was true, maybe Draco could help the Weasel out.

"Hermione, are you going to give him a Gryffindor Dark Wizard, or shall I?"

"Sirius Black?"

"Sure, though I still believe that Peter Pettigrew was the real traitor."

"But he was convicted."

"Maybe. But my father was cleared of all charges. I've been raised to distrust the courts. And even if you go through the whole all Dark Wizards are Slytherins, which is wrong, being Slytherin is not necessarily a guaranteed Dark indicator. Merlin was a Slytherin after all."

"That sounds like something a Malfoy would say."

"Is that your response to everything I say? Clearly you have no imagination."

With that the Weasel walked out of the compartment. And the train at last arrived at Hogwarts. With that, playtime was over. Draco had a lot of work to do.


	4. The Unexpected Sorting

Disclaimer: Oh dear, my Polyjuice potion wore off. I guess that means I am not JK Rowling anymore. That also means I don't own Harry Potter. I barely own this idea, and Rick Riordan owns Nico the Case Manager. I own the order that my words are being used, and I make absolutely no profit on this story. Also, there may be text pulled directly from the text.

AN: This is not a Ron-bashing story. I don't like Ronald Weasley. I don't trust Dumbledore. However, I will not bash either one. All bashing will happen to Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew. This story is based on the Reptilia28 challenge. I also borrow quite a bit from Douglass Adams, because I know where my towel is.. Also, a cookie to the one who spots the Doctor Who reference.

Chapter 4 The Unexpected Sorting

Professor Dumbledore was feeling a bit of excitement and dread. The fate of the world lay on the proper management of the next seven years. Harry needs to be properly trained. Then, out of the corner of Dumbledore's eyes, he saw Nico di Angelo.

"Nico, son of Hades. I don't recall doing anything to disappoint your father in the past few years."

"You haven't. I'm here due to the Treaty."

"The Treaty? You mean the one that came about after the Great Collapsing Hrung Disaster of Betelguese Seven?"

"Yes. That one. We rebooted an agent. He is going to be sorted again in a few moments."

"Thank you for telling me."

Then, Nico walked to the Hat. "You will get one who has been sorted before Professor Lazarus. He's one of our agents. Remember the Treaty."

"Obviously I remember the Treaty. I was there when it was signed."

Draco Malfoy was feeling a bit of excitement and dread. He was standing back in Hogwarts. His home. The place he loved most. The fate of the world lay in the proper management of the next seven years. Harry needed to be properly trained. Neville needed to be properly trained. Hermione needed to be properly prepared. Draco had a lot of work to do, and only six to seven years to do it. But this was no the cause of the dread. The cause of the dread lay in the sorting. Draco had a big question, would the Hat even sort him? Theoretically, the Hat only sorted a person once. Draco had been sorted in the previous time line. However, that previous time line, may count as a different universe. Harry and Hermione were certainly different than their previous selves. So, maybe, just maybe, the previous time line's sorting doesn't count as it is not this Sorting Hat that sorted him.

Draco endured the obnoxiously slow, but not slow enough boat ride, the annoying chorus of "Oooooh!", made sure Neville had his toad, they made their way to the doors, and the Oaf knocked three times. Then, finally, the doors to Hogwarts opened. Draco was home. Waiting for them was Professor McGonagall. She had a stern face and emerald robes, that went rather well with her black hair. Harry was probably impressed with her, but Draco always felt that she was a bit biased towards the Gryffindors. Then, the Oaf walked up.

"The firs' years Professor McGonagall," the Oaf said.

"Thank you Hagrid, I shall take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The large entrance was a problem he'd have to deal with later. Too easily for Death Nibblers to get in. Then, he'd have to find the secret passage ways, and seal them. Set traps to react to Death Nibblers. Discover his godfather's loyalties. But he'd have time to do this assuming he even got sorted.

Stress and nervous tension are serious social problems in all parts of the Wizarding World, and it is in order that this situation would not be in any way exacerbated that the following facts will now be revealed in advanced. There will be a singing hat. A ghost nearly rips his head off. Draco does get sorted. What house he gets sorted into will be revealed in a bit. This can be made safely into a subject of suspense since it is of no significance whatsoever. Now back to the story.

They followed Professor McGonagall into a chamber outside the Great Hall. The students stood rather closer than they usually would have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-the-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into you houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor,. I hope each of you becomes a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The sorting will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

A/N: Sorry, that entire speech was ripped right from JK's mouth. I couldn't justify editing it, because Draco was in the room being quiet in the original time line, and him being on different sides wouldn't have concerned her yet. So her words stay the same.

Her eyes seemed to linger for a moment on Neville's cloak, and on the speck of dirt on the Weasel's nose. Well, several people pointed it out to him. Not Draco's problem.

Then, Harry spoke up. "How exactly do they sort you into the houses?" he asked Draco.

"You'll see in a moment. Don't worry, you don't need to know anything yet."

Then, the ghosts descended from the sky. Most of them weren't very remarkable. He noticed Nearly Headless Nick talking to the Fat Friar.

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance."

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name, and he's not really a ghost- I dare say, what are you all doing here?"

Draco stepped forward. "Sir Nicholas, we haven't been sorted yet."

"New student!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

Then, Professor McGonagall returned.

"Move along now, the Sorting's about to start. Now form a line and follow me," Professor McGonagall said to the first years.

Draco found himself in line with Hermione in front of him, and Harry behind him, and they walked out of the chamber and into the Great Hall. Harry appeared to be looking at everything, and drinking everything in. Draco was doing the same, but for different reasons. He loved seeing this place when it wasn't falling apart and on fire due to warfare. He felt a pang of pity for Filch, but quenched it quickly, as Filch was a devoted supporter of Umbitch. Draco drank in the thousands of candles that he loved so much, and the ceiling that showed the outside sky he spent countless hours not appreciating while he still had it. He relished in the long tables that were covered in golden plates and goblets, and eating utensils. He adored those statues that decorated the outsides of the room. The first years all kneeled on the floor in front of a chair and the Sorting Hat. Everybody stared at the hat.

Then, it burst into song.

 _Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_  
 _But judge not by what you see_  
 _I'll eat myself if you can find_  
 _A smarter hat than me._  
 _You can keep your bowlers black,_  
 _Your top hats sleek and tall_  
 _For I'm the Sorting Hat_  
 _And I can see them all._  
 _There's nothing hidden in your head_  
 _The Sorting Hat can't see_  
 _So try me on and I will tell you_  
 _Where you ought to be._  
 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_  
 _Where dwell the brave at heart_  
 _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_  
 _Set Gryffindors apart_  
 _You might belong in Hufflepuff_  
 _Where they are just and loyal_  
 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_  
 _And unafraid of toil; Or yet in Ravenclaw_  
 _If you're a ready mind,_  
 _Where those of wit and learning_  
 _Will always find your kind;_  
 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_  
 _You'll make your real friends_  
 _Those cunning folk use any means_  
 _To achieve their ends_  
 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
 _And don't get in a flap!_  
 _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_  
 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

The hall burst into applause as the Hat finished it's song. The Hat bowed to each of the four tables and went still again. Once again, Draco was worried, because it was a well known fact that the Hat only sorted once, and that was the exact same song the Hat sang in the previous time line. Harry looked nervous as well, but that was probably due to the low self esteem that Draco had discovered Harry had.

"When I call your names, you will sit down on the chair, and I shall place the hat on you. Abbot, Hannah!" Hannah sat on the chair, and after a few seconds, she was sorted into Hufflepuff. Draco ignored the sorting, until McGonagall called "Granger, Hermione" Hermione walked to the Hat, and McGonagall placed the hat on her head. Once again, Hermione was placed into Gryffindor. Immediately followed with a Slytherin sorting for Daphne Greengrass. Moments later, Neville was sorted into Gryffindor. So, Draco once again went to ignoring the Sorting, and dreading being told that the Hat doesn't sort people twice. Then, finally, McGonagall called "Malfoy, Draco." Draco walked to the chair. He really needed to be Sorted. It was time, the moment of truth. Draco sat down on the chair.

"Ah, the agent. di Angelo told me to expect you"

"You knew I was coming," Draco thought.

"Of course I knew you were coming. There are very specific times when I must sort somebody again. This is one of those times, because many years ago, I refused to sort Zaphod Beeblebrox, and because of this, the Great Collapsing Hrung Disaster on Betelguese Seven happened. Not only was Betelguese Seven wiped from existence, nobody even knows what a Hrung is, or why it chose to collapse on Betelguese Seven in the first place. So because of this, I have to sort every body who the Ministry of Death decrees must be sorted. So, now, where to put you?"

"Slytherin."

"Ah, you could go there. You'd do well there, but what is your primary purpose here?"

"To protect Harry Potter."

"So if I sort you there, I'd have to sort Harry Potter there."

"No, the people would never support a Slytherin Harry Potter. He could never be the beacon of hope the world would need him to be. He might kill Voldemort, but if he's in Slytherin, they'll just claim that it's because he's a Dark Lord."

"Exactly, and the only way you can fulfill your primary purpose is if you are at his side at all times."

"You raise a good point. Fine. Do as you must."

"Then it better be GRYFFINDOR!"

As soon as the Sorting Hat proclaimed Draco to be a Gryffindor, the hall went silent. As to be expected, after all, Malfoys went to Slytherin. So to have a Gryffindor Malfoy was as unexpected as a naughty nun or suddenly getting trampled at the next zebra crossing. Draco got off the chair and walked with purpose towards the table. He sat directly across Hermione and Neville. He shook his head when Theodore Nott was sorted into Slytherin. Pansy was also sorted into Slytherin. Then were the Patil girls, one Gryffindor, and one Ravenclaw. Then, a Perks, Sally-Anne, who went to Hufflepuff. Then, finally, "Potter, Harry." Draco noticed that the crowd once again went silent, well, silent except for the excited buzz. That buzz that Draco hoped they'd get over soon. The annoying "Potter, did she say?" or the ever so irritating, "The Harry Potter?" Everybody was craning to get a good look at the Golden Boy. After what seemed like a lifetime, the Sorting Hat shouted for all to hear, "Gryffindor!" Moments later, Harry walked and sat next to Draco. Draco had a smile on, and turned towards Harry. "I told you. Nothing to worry about." Then, Nearly-Headless Nick sat next to Draco. Draco had a theory that Ghosts liked to sit next to him at opening feasts. Draco didn't know why, but every year at the opening day feast in the previous time line, the Baron sat next to him. Now, Nearly-Headless Nick. After a few moments, McGonagall shouted "Weasley, Ronald." "Slytherin!" the Hat shouted. The Weasel paled. He walked, shakily over to the Slytherin table, where all the Slytherins seemed to ignore him. After the Weasel's unexpected sorting, there was only Blaise Zabini's sorting prompt sort into Slytherin.

Now, Draco had a problem. As a Gryffindor, Draco didn't have access to the resources he had when he was King of Slytherin. the well of information that came with it. He also could not risk Nott becoming King of Slytherin. He had to find somebody who'd be willing to work with a Gryffindor. Somebody who had no love for the Dark Lord. He had 24 hours before the hierarchy was established. 24 hours before the first duel. 24 hours to find somebody to give an unfair advantage over. It had to be the right person though. He immediately stopped musing, when Dumbledore stood foward.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak! Thank you."

After those truly inspirational words, Draco applauded with the others. He clapped and cheered. Harry was looking like he was wondering whether to laugh or not.

"Is he- a bit mad?" Harry asked Draco uncertainly.

"Most think he is actually. I've seen him speak to my father though, and I don't buy the insanity card. I think it's one big act." Draco replied. "Potatoes, Harry?"

Harry's jaw dropped, as the dishes in front of them filled with food. Harry piled his plate with everything except the peppermints, and went to town. Meanwhile, the Slytherins all went to sit at the Ravenclaw table because the Weasel began to eat. The Weasel would not be King of Slytherin. The Weasel probably didn't know how to duel. He'd lose against everybody he went up against, and get the worst bed of the lot. Then, the Weasel would be written out of the story until third year. Then, Nearly-Headless Nick began to speak up, presumably towards Harry, who was eating, but hadn't forgotten his manners.

"That does look good," the ghost said.

"Can't you-"

"No, eating's for the living Harry." Draco said.

"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said Nick. "I don't need to of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

Draco counted to ten. Then, Draco piped up, "That's a lot better than what my father calls him."

"What does your father call him?"

"Nearly-Headless Nick."

"I prefer to be called Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."

Then, that sandy-haired kid, Seamus, piped up. "Nearly-Headless? How can you be Nearly-Headless?"

The ghost looked extremely miffed, as if this conversation wasn't going at all how he wanted it to. He also looked like he'd been asked that a lot.

"Like this," the ghost said when he seized his right ear, and pulled. His head nearly came off. Someone incompetent had clearly tried to behead him. Draco briefly wondered if he received compensation. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on the student's faces, Nick flipped his head back on his neck, coughed, and said, "So, new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship cup this year. Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got it six years in a row!"

"Wait, six. You mean Gryffindor actually won the cup at least once during the height of James Potter's reign of terror?" Draco piped up.

"Please don't talk about James Potter. I still have nightmares about that flying pigs incident," said Nick.

"Flying pigs incident?" Harry asked.

"According to my godfather, after about six years of rejection from Lily Evans, your father decided to do one of his most juvenile stunts. He took her words of rejection quite literally I'm afraid." Draco said.

"What words of rejection?" Harry asked.

"I will go out with you when pigs fly, I think the exact expression was," said Nick.

"So he made pigs fly, so what?" said Harry.

"Unfortunately, he gave the flying pigs magic bacon guns, and had them dive bomb the Slytherins. Cost us 300 House Points." said Nick.

"Don't look down, your father, from what I hear, just liked to make people laugh. He was brilliant, and he was well aware of his own brilliance. He got bored a lot, and when he got bored, he tried to make everybody laugh."

"As I was saying before young Malfoy interrupted me, Slytherin has got the cup for six years in a row! The Bloody Baron is becoming almost unbearable-he's the Slytherin ghost." said Nick.

"How did he get so bloody?" Seamus asked.

"Oh, he killed the woman he loved in a fit of madness, and when he regained his sanity and realized what he'd done, he killed himself." Draco informed Seamus.

Draco would have to work on Seamus's tendency to ask such tactless questions.

"Oh. Poor man."

"Yes, two ghosts in one day. One can't forgive the other, and the other can't forgive himself. Such is the nature of violent death, now let's move on to a different topic."

Then the desserts appeared. As they were eating desserts, the topic shifted to their families.

"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

The others laughed. Neville described being thought of as a squib by his Pureblood family. Hermione described being the daughter of two dentists. Draco was actually surprised to hear that Muggles actually had a profession that tortures people by working on their teeth.

"What about your family Draco?" Hermione asked.

"What is there to talk about?" said Draco.

"What does your father do?"

"He covers up his crimes and pretends that he does not bear the Dark Wanker's mark on his forearm. And my mother is a doting housewife who spends her time pretending that she was imperioused into bankrolling the Dark Wanker's stupid war. Pretending that the bad decisions they made were forced upon them, when all you have to do to disprove that theory is roll up their sleeves. They pretend that they don't have the Minister of Magic in their pocket. They pretend they are the perfect family with upstanding members of society. My aunt Bellatrix is in Azkaban for torturing Neville's parents to insanity trying to get the location of her master from them. They give me a bad name."

"Oh."

And really, that was all there was to say to that speech Draco said. The speech that won him the trust of the Gryffindors. It made them believe that he was truly one of them, but Draco could not allow that to be true. He had to remain Slytherin. The fate of the world depended on it. Then two things happened. Those two things meant that it began now. First, Draco saw Quirrellmort. Second, Harry made a sound of pain.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, Draco, who's that talking to Professor Quirrell?"

"That's Professor Snape, my godfather. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to. He wants Quirrell's job. He knows a lot about the Dark Arts. He's a useful man to know. But a bad man to cross."

Then, Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-the-term notices to give you. First years should probably note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our elder students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic is to be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for the team should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Yes, the Philosopher's Stone is in the third floor corridor to all Gryffindors and power hungry tyrants hiding in Professor Quirrellmort's turban. Come get it if you want. "He's not serious?" Harry muttered to Weatherby. "Must be," said Weatherby. "It's odd, because he usually give us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere. The forest's full of dangerous beasts. Everybody knows that. I do think he might have told the prefects at least."

Yes, Draco could see Dumbledore saying that. Weatherby and other pompous assholes, we are currently hiding the Philosophers Stone in the third floor corridor. It grants immortality and can turn things into gold. Lemon drops anyone? Dumbledore then gave his wand a flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long gold ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself into words.

"Everybody pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go."

Then the school bellowed:

 _Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_  
 _Teach us something please_  
 _Whether we be old and bald_  
 _Or young with scabby knee_  
 _Our heads could do with filling_  
 _With some interesting stuff,_  
 _For now their bare and full of air,_  
 _Dead flies, and bits of fluff,_  
 _So teach us something worth knowing_  
 _Bring back what we've forgot_  
 _Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_  
 _And learn until our brains all rot._

"Ah, music," he said wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now bedtime, off you trot."

Draco got up, and followed the rest of the Gryffindor first years, behind Weatherby through the loud crowds, through the moving staircases, and the vanishing steps. They escaped a brief encounter with Peeves. They eventually found themselves in front of a portrait of an extremely fat woman. "Password?" "Caput draconis," Weatherby said, and the portait swung foward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all walked up to it. Neville needed a leg up, and they found themselves in the Gryffindor common room. It was a cozy round room full of squishy arm chairs. It was when Draco saw the common room, that Draco realized that he was going to enjoy being a Gryffindor. The girls were directed one way, and the boys were directed another. At the top of a spiral staircase, they were in one of the towers, they found their beds at last. Five beds, for five first years. Their trunks already their. Everybody else gorged themselves, and thus was too tired to talk. They went to bed. Draco pulled out his trunk, pulled out his potions supplies. He had no intentions of going to sleep for a while, and thus would need several pepper-up potions. He had too much work to do, that had to be done tonight. He had to choose a Slytherin to defeat Nott, and become King of Slytherin, a title that went to both men and women. He had to write to Sirius. He had to figure out how he was going to keep his foreknowledge, so his biggest advantage would remain exactly that, an advantage.

Then, Nico di Angelo appeared behind him.

"Staying busy?"

"Of course I am. Who do you take me for? Why are you here? I haven't made a mistake have I?"

"Oh no, you've done better that I expected. As I told you, I'd be popping in now and then, to make give you a progress report, or let you know if there's anything you need to do. However, you should know, that due to the Treaty, I had to inform the Headmaster that you are a time traveler. He can't tell anybody, and it can't be used against you in any way, but when the war happens, you will become an invaluable resource."

"Which will be useful for us. Plus, being a time traveler, means it is in Dumbledore's best interest to keep me up to date on the developments in the coming war. So, I'll be getting up to date information regarding this time line, as well as my foreknowledge that the previous time line gives me, limited as it is, I'll be able to better prevent deaths, or see where the changes are happening, and plan against them."

"Exactly, good luck. I think you're going to need it."


	5. Forging An Alliance

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter. I just play in her sandbox, and play chaser in an Oklahoma Quidditch team, and when necessary, take sections of her words, and transfer them to the page. I wish I didn't have to, but Malfoy's changing sides wouldn't change very much in this chapter.

Author's Note: This chapter will have a reference to Doctor Who. Cookies to those that spot it.

Chapter 5 Forging an Alliance

He stayed up all night, and had a perfect pepper-up potion, and he knew what he was going to do. Thankfully, this was a potion's day. He took the pepper-up potion, and woke Harry up. Harry and Draco were went to breakfast where Draco eyed her, his chosen ally. The only one, who had nothing to lose by accepting his help, and everything to gain. The only Slytherin who might accept an alliance with a Gryffindor. The only Slytherin who did not like the Dark Wanker. The Ice Queen of Slytherin. Daphne Greengrass.

Also, Draco received two howlers, and a letter from Mr. Parkinson informing him that the Betrothal was cancelled. He never heard the exact content of the howlers, because he lit them on fire before they started screaming. However, he could hazard a guess. They probably mentioned something about bringing dishonor to the family, how dare you get sorted into the house of blood traitors, how dare you eat fish tacos. When the dark lord returns we'll have unlimited control, power, crush the lesser races, unlimited rice pudding, et cetera, et cetera. You won't get any of it.

If the Howlers were any indication of events to come, he should probably hurry up and finish transferring his trust fund into his separate vault. He refused to be penniless when the Dark Lord returned.

All day long Draco had to deal with the annoying comments.

"There look."

"Where?"

"Next to the skinny blonde kid."

"Wearing the glasses?"

"Did you see his face?"

"Did you see his scar?"

Those whispers followed Harry, and thus followed Draco, from the moment he left the dormitory that day. People would crane, and stare at him. Draco didn't mind, but it seemed to be bugging Harry.

"Why are you letting people annoy you?"

"Because I'm trying to concentrate on finding my way to classes."

"Don't worry about it. Staircases move, steps vanish, but you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm going to bet you anything that within a few years, you'll know this castle better than anybody, even Filch."

"How is it that you know where we're going?"

"My godfather is the Potion's master. I spent quite a bit of my summers here, helping him with his Potion's research. I know my way around this place. Now let's see, Transfiguration is next."

They'd already had History of Magic, or in Draco's case, a much needed nap. They'd had charms, with Flitwick. Transfiguration, Draco knew, as Harry soon found out, was all business.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned," she said. Then she promptly changed her desk into a pig, and then back again. The first years were all excited, and couldn't wait to get started, but then realized they weren't going to be changing furniture into animals for some time. They took rather simple notes, in Draco's opinion, and were given matchsticks and told to turn it into a needle. Draco could have done it immediately, but that would have been cheating. So, he let Hermione do it first, on her own merit, before turning his match into a perfect needle. Professor McGonagall gave Gryffindor 20 house points for their combined efforts, and a rare smile to them both.

Then, came the class Draco knew as Know Thy Enemy, or Fun With Quirrellmort. His classroom smelled of garlic, to conceal the smell in Quirrellmort's turban. The smell, Quirrellmort claimed was to ward of Vampires, and the turban, again Quirrellmort claimed, had been given to him by and African prince as a think-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie. This would have been cool, except, when Seamus asked how he killed the Zombie, Quirrellmort turned pink, and started bumbling about the weather.

The next class was Potions. The only class where Gryffindors and Slytherins were forced to learn together. It would be when he approached Daphne Greengrass about the alliance. Draco and Harry were about to walk into the room, when Draco pulled Harry to the side.

"Harry, there's someone I need to speak to today, and this class period is the only time I'll be able to talk to her. So do you mind working with Hermione this hour?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

Then, Draco noticed Harry had a letter in his hands.

"Who's that from?"

"It's Hagrid. He wants me to come over to his place for tea at friday afternoon. Would you like to come?"

"Maybe. I'll get back to you with that one."

Draco and Harry split up. Harry went to the cauldron where Hermione was seated, while Draco went to an empty cauldron, and waited for her to enter. When she did, she noticed that the only available place to work was with Draco, so she went to Draco.

"Why aren't you with Potter?"

"Because, Nott cannot become King of Slytherin."

"Why help me?"

"Because you are the only person who would listen to a Gryffindor. You are ambitious, but not stupid. That makes you the ideal person to be the King of Slytherin."

"So why do you care who's the King of Slytherin?"

"Because, I might need help with a few projects I'm working on. Might need information. Might need to discover if a few theories I have are true or false. I might need the King of Slytherin's resources. But that's not the question. The question is, do you want to be King of Slytherin?"

"Yes, and you have information that you think I need to be King of Slytherin."

"I have dueled against Nott about fifty times. I have never lost to him. I'm the only person who never loses to Nott, because I know his weaknesses. As a show of good faith, I can, if you want, tell it to you."

"What are his weaknesses?"

"His aim is always slightly off. His curses always hit a little right of the intended target. Thus, if you move a little to the right, you should be able to dodge the curse entirely. Also, he is hats at hitting a moving target. Keep moving. His shield charm is strong, but he is slow to put it up. Your Slytherin cunning should be enough to take care of it."

"Thank you for the intel."

"Tell me when it's done. Because when you are King of Slytherin, I have something I need you to look into."

Then, Professor Snape walked into the class. Professor Snape started off taking roll, and stopped at Harry's name.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. Our new- celebrity."

Draco rolled his eyes in disgust at Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle sniggering behind their hands. Snape finished calling names and looked at the class.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually teach." Professor Snape said.

There is was. Guaranteed order in the classroom. Best teacher ever.

"Potter!" said Snape, just like last time. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"I don't know, sir"

"Tut, tut- clearly fame isn't everything. Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter? What is the difference, Potter, between monkswood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know. I think Hermione does though, why don't you try her?"

"Sit down girl! For your information, Potter, asophodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkswood and wolfbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down? A point taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."

Draco took back his best teacher ever moment. Draco was pissed. He wasn't so angry since, well, since Potter discovered him crying in the restrooms. Snape put them into pairs and had them mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. Even pissed, Draco was able to do this potion in his sleep.

"That was harsh. Is Professor Snape always this harsh with Gryffindor?"

"No, Harry is a special case."

"Why?"

"Because James Potter used to bully Severus Snape."

"Oh. I can understand that."

"So can I."

Gryffindor lost another point because Neville's potion was messed up.

"Now I don't understand why he hates Neville. Kid never hurt a fly. His parents have never targeted him, or embarrassed him. It makes no sense."

After class, Draco walked off. Harry followed.

"Why does he hate me so much?"

"It's not you that he hates. It's his job, it's your father."

"My father?"

"He hated your father. Then, your father had to do the unforgivable."

"What was that?"

"That is between Professor Snape and your father."

"So are you going to Hagrids?"

"Not this time, there's something I have to do."

"Okay. How long should it take?"

"Should be no longer than an hour."

"We'll meet at the common room and talk then."

"Sure."

Draco thought he escaped, so he could do what he needed to do, when he saw Hermione walk up to him.

"Why didn't you stand up for Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Why didn't you?"

"It would have cost Gryffindor house points."

"I didn't because it was the wrong way. I have a better way."

"What's that?"

"Diplomacy. I don't have much time though. We can finish this talk in the common room in about an hour. Okay?"

"Okay."

Draco watched as Hermione walked away. Good. Draco didn't want Hermione to start to suspect that Draco was from the future yet. He needed to be careful. Professor Dumbledore suspected he had an ace up his sleeve. Draco wanted to know what this ace was. It was time Draco had a chat with Dumbledore.


	6. Many Revelations

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter. Guess what? I didn't copy from the book at all in this chapter.

A/N: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference here. Cookies to those who find it.

Chapter 6: Many Revelations

Draco was pacing Dumbledore's office. Then, he saw Dumbledore standing behind him.

"Ah, Draco, how are you doing today?"

"I'm pissed off. Excuse the language. I was seventeen a few months ago, but you already knew that. So I came here because I need to know, why do you trust Snape's loyalty so completely? McGonagall doesn't even have your complete trust, and she'd devoted to you. So why Severus?"

"Telling you wouldn't violate the agreement between myself and Severus, so I shall tell you, as long as Harry doesn't find out from you."

"Fine, though I believe that Harry has a right to know."

"Severus Snape loved Lily Evans. Voldemort killed Lily Evans."

"Do you have any proof of this?"

"Severus' patronus is a doe, so was Lily's."

"So, love the one thing the Dark Lord cannot comprehend. So why does the Dark Lord trust Severus so much?"

"Because, again, try to wait until Harry is a little older before telling him. He should have some resemblance of a normal childhood."

"Agreed."

"Before Harry was born, there was a prophesy, one that described the one with the power to defeat Voldemort. Severus overheard it, and rushed to tell the Voldemort. Then, Severus realized that there are only two possible people the prophesy could apply to. Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter. Voldemort believed the prophesy applied to Harry Potter, and thus was going to kill the entire family. Severus begged Voldemort to spare them. However, Voldemort would not. So, Severus went to me, and begged me to protect the Potters. He placed himself in my control and began acting as my spy that day. He knows, like I do, and like you do, that Voldemort will return, and when he does, he will go after Harry. Thus Severus is making sure Harry Potter survives school."

"Interesting. Now, can you tell him to stop treating Harry like he is James? They are not the same person, and it is damaging to Harry's self-worth. Harry needs to be confident in himself if he's going to be able to kill Voldemort."

"Very well."

Draco walked out feeling accomplished. He accomplished one of his goals. He was on his way of defeating Voldemort and changing the world. Now all he needed to do was find out what Harry and Hagrid talked about, talk to Hermione, and see about those flying lessons.

About thirty minutes later, Draco, Harry, and Hermione were sitting in the common room.

"Harry, you start." Draco said.

"Somebody broke into Gringotts."

"I knew that. It was in the Prophet and the Quibbler. I make it a point to read all the news publications. Because the truth is generally in the middle," said Draco.

"Isn't the Quibbler the one with the article about the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal?" asked Hermione.

"Yes it is, it's a code. I'll explain it to you later."

"Yes, the paper says that the vault was emptied earlier that day. The vault was broken into on the same day that Hagrid emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen."

"Harry, it's probably just a coincidence," said Hermione.

"Except, when I brought it to Hagrid's attention, he wouldn't meet my eyes," said Harry.

"You may have a point there. But please don't go looking for trouble Harry." Draco said.

Harry Potter, not looking for trouble? Fat chance. With Draco's luck, he'd be in the third floor corridor by the end of the week.

A/N: Yes, I know, this chapter's short. It kind of needs to be. Otherwise, it'll be entirely too long.


	7. Flying Is Fun

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will never own Harry Potter. I barely own this idea, and I certainly make no profit off of it. This chapter will have sections ripped directly from the book. Fair warning.

A/N: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, reference

Chapter 7: Flying Is Fun.

At first, Draco found Nott to be amusing. As time went on though, Draco found himself really hating Theodore Nott. After Theodore Nott lost to Daphne Greengrass, who went on to become the King of Slytherin three days later, Theodore Nott became bitter and angry. Draco was starting to find Theodore Nott to be a lackluster copy of himself. Draco was also annoyed that everything he did in the previous time line, no matter how stupid it was, Nott did in this time line. Still, first years only had potions with the Slytherins, so Draco could at least ignore Nott's idiotic antics. Or at least until they spotted a notice in the Gryffindor Common Room that flying lessons were going to start on Thursday, and it would be with the Slytherins. Draco was estatic because he would be in the air soon. Plus, Harry would make a fool of Nott soon enough, get on the Quidditch team, and otherwise be awesome. Harry was not sharing his optimistic look at this.

"Great. Just what I always wanted, to make a fool of myself with a broomstick."

"Come on, flying is easy. There's an art to it, or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. You won't make a fool of yourself."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it's in your blood."

"What?"

"James Charles Potter. He was the youngest captain of a Quidditch team in history, having earned the title at his fourth year. When your father tried to claim that he was too young, the entire team insisted that he was not only the best player, but he knew more about Quidditch than any of them combined. His first year as captain, he lead the team to the Quidditch cup, but lost to Slytherin. His second year as captain, he won the Quidditch cup, and won it the next two years as well. Believe me, you'll do fine."

"How do you know this?"

"My father insisted I study the James Potter games. He wanted me to be seeker of the Slytherin team. Oh, how he'll be so disappointed."

"Yes, I suppose he will."

At breakfast, the mail came in, and once again, Augusta Longbottom, a woman he usually held a high opinion of, sent Neville the cruelest and must completely and utterly useless thing in the world. A remembrall. A remembrall that as soon as Longbottom touched it, it turned red. Then, Nott swooped behind him, and took the remembrall. As Harry started to get up, McGonagall appeared, and Nott handed the remembrall back. Thus, events were forming themselves quite nicely. In a few hours, Nott would make an fool of himself, and Draco would have front row seat to watch.

Flying lessons were all anybody could talk about. Nott would brag loudly to anybody who could hear him about his flying exploits, that were really Draco's flying exploits minus the helicopters. Hermione was quoting Quidditch Through The Ages, and Neville was hanging on to every word, desperate for something that would help him hang onto the broom. Draco and Dean were arguing about whether or not Quidditch was better than football, it was, Draco'd seen a football game once before a raid in the original time line, and while it was entertaining, Quidditch was leagues better.

Then, at 3:30, all the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years were on the pitch waiting for their first flying lesson. There were 20 broomsticks on the ground. Eventually, Madam Hooch walked up to them.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked. "Everybody stand by a broomstick. Hurry up!"

Everybody rushed to a broomstick. Draco positioned himself next to Harry and across from Daphne. It was time to start advancing his plan of get Sirius a trial. He didn't need to catch Pettigrew yet, all he had to do was prove that Sirius didn't receive one. Then, he could go through on phase two of his plan. So today was something of a big day. Absolutely no mistakes could be made today. Neville had to break his arm. Nott had to make an ass of himself. Harry had to fly, and get on the Quidditch team, and distract everybody's attention. He had to get the carefully worded note to Daphne, without anybody suspecting that a note had been passed. He needed her to follow it's instructions exactly. It was crucial that she did it without anybody suspecting anything, because Pettigrew could get word, and escape. One mistake and Sirius would be in Azkaban for another two years without a chance of trial.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom, and say 'Up'" Madam Hooch ordered.

"UP!" Everybody shouted. Harry's came up before he'd pronounced the letter p. Draco's came up shortly after that. They were the amongst the few that did. Hermione's rolled on the ground, and Neville's seemed to be trying to go underground, mainly because Neville's tone clearly indicated that he wanted to keep both feet firmly on the ground.

After everybody's broom came to their hand, Madam Hooch showed them how to mount their brooms. Draco and Harry were delighted when Nott was told that he'd been doing it wrong all these years. Especially when Madam Hooch informed them all that Harry and Draco were doing it right.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off the ground hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, then come straight down by leaning foward slightly. On my whistle- one-two-"

Then, just like last time, Neville, nervous and jumpy, and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle touched Madam Hooch's lips.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but it was too late. For Neville rose like a cork out of a bottle, twelve feet, twenty feet, thirty feet. Then, WHAM!- A thud and the sound of bone breaking, and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap. His broomstick decided to go to the forbidden forest. Madam Hooch stood over him.

"Arm broken. I'm going to take you to Madam Pomphrey. If I see one broom in the air, you'll be expelled faster than you can say Quidditch."

Madam Pomphrey then took Neville away. Which meant that the clock was ticking. Nott, beautiful Nott, Nott the reliably cruel and callous. Nott the dependably arrogant. Nott stepped foward and began following the script he didn't even know was written.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?"

"Shut up, Nott," snapped Parvati Patil.

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy, Draco's ex-betrothed. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

"No, she's sticking up for the Scion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom. I'd start learning how to respect those above your station," said Draco.

Then, glorious Nott walked through the grass. He picked up Neville's remembrall. "Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

Then Harry, the one with a Hero Complex, finally does exactly what Draco needed him to do. He walked to Nott.

"Give that here, Nott."

Everybody stopped talking to watch. This was after all, quality stuff. Heroic hero confronts no good archnemesis. Exactly what Draco needed to happen if he was going to get Sirius a trial, and not lose Pettigrew.

Nott grinned. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find, how about, up a tree."

With that Nott leaped on a broomstick, and took off. Nott hadn't been lying. He could fly, not as well as Draco, and he was certainly no match for Harry.

"Give that here."

"Come and get it Potter."

Then, Hermione almost ruined everything. She grabbed Harry's arm.

"No. You heard Madam Hooch. You'll get expelled."

Luckily, when Harry witnessed an injustice, he ignored everything until the injustice was taken care of. Right now, Nott was inconveniencing Neville. He stole one of Neville's possessions. So Harry was going to take it back. Harry got on the broom, and he zoomed off. Then, Draco stopped paying attention to Harry. He already knew exactly what would happen. Harry zoom at Nott. Harry would taunt Nott. Nott would throw the remembrall. Harry would dive-bomb 50 feet and catch it, proving himself a capable seeker. He would get on the Quidditch team. Draco needed to focus on the here and now, and what he needed to do. He walked casually to Daphne Greengrass, and slipped her the note. When Daphne had time, she'd read the words:

Destroy after reading.

Sirius Black was never legally disowned.

Sirius Black was thrown into Azkaban without a trial.

Investigate quietly.

Don't want the wrong people finding out.

Happy Hunting.

By the time he walked back to Hermione, Harry landed on the ground. Before Harry could celebrate his great act of heroism, a familiar voice shouted through the air.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Professor McGonagall was there. She was pale, and almost speechless with shock.

"Never- in all my time at Hogwarts- how dare you-could have broken your neck-"

"Wasn't his fault, Professor-"

"Be quiet Miss Patil."

Then, Hermione turned her head just as Draco flashed a thumbs up sign at Harry. As soon as McGonagall walked away with Harry, Hermione walked towards Draco.

"I thought you were his friend."

"I am his friend."

"Why did you flash him thumbs up?"

"Because he is incredibly lucky."

"He's about to get expelled! How is that lucky?"

"If it were any other professor, then yes, he would be expelled. If it were any other student, he'd be expelled. Harry isn't going to be expelled."

"Then what do you think is going to happen?"

"It happens I know several things about McGonagall that you don't. First, McGonagall was really close with the Potters. She endured the Great Cheese Incident of 1971 without expelling James Potter. She would never expel a member of that family. Second, McGonagall is a fanatical Quidditch fan, and Gryffindor hasn't had a good team since Charlie Weasley left. Slytherin has won the Quidditch cup for seven years straight. She is desperate for a great team, and the most important player is the seeker. He just showcased himself as the lead candidate for the position of seeker. She's going to put him on the Quidditch team. She's probably even going to get him his own professional broom."

"Why didn't you try to stop him from getting on the broom in the first place?"

"Because I needed a distraction, and Harry is very good at creating them without even realizing it."

"What could be so important you could risk losing your best friend?"

"Nothing, there was never a chance of losing him."

"Why not?"

"Harry could perform the Cruciatus Curse, and Albus Dumbledore will not allow him to be expelled."

"Again, why?"

"I promised Dumbledore I'd keep it to myself. Please don't make me break my promise to him."

"Okay. I won't."


	8. When Draco Said I Told You So

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Again, out of necessity, I am forced to rip sentences right out of the Philosopher's Stone. Don't hate me. Also, in this chapter we get to see more of Nico, who belongs to Rick Riordan.

A/N: I have a James and the Giant Peach reference in here. Try and find it.

Chapter 8: When Draco Said I Told You So

It was dinnertime when Harry told Draco the official news, and to be a good sport, Draco pretended to be surprised. He had to, because Harry wanted his friend to be surprised. So, Draco, despite already knowing it was coming, decided to play along.

"I knew she wouldn't expel you, but I did not know that she'd be putting you on the Quidditch team in first year. You must be the first seeker in a century."

"Yeah, Wood told me."

"Ah, I've heard some horror stories involving Wood and Quidditch, just a warning."

Then, the Twins approached.

"Well done," said Twin One. "Wood told us. We're on the team too- beaters."

"I tell you, we're going to win the cup for sure this year," said Twin Two. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good. Wood was practically skipping when he told us."

"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."

The Twins, who Draco still had no way of telling apart, had hardly disappeared, when Nott showed up flanked by his hired thugs, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Having a last meal Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" Nott said.

"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground, and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry. God damn it Harry! Now you've provoked his pride!

"I'd take you on anytime on my own. Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizards duel before, I suppose?

Not going to do a Weasel. Not going to do a Weasel. Not going to do a Weasel. Not going to do a Weasel. I'm smarter. I'm more Slytherin. I will just refuse the challenge.

"Of course he has," Draco said. That's not what he was going to say. Why did he say that? "I'm his second, who's yours?" No, no, no. Why did he say that? Nott wasn't going to show up! So, what was going on?

Nott looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up, not that it matters. Nott had no intention of showing up. Well, two can play at that game. Draco wouldn't show up either. And if he could help it, neither would Harry.

"Crabbe. Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room. That's always unlocked."

When Nott left, Draco started to bash his head on the table, muttering Stupid stupid stupid. Then, Harry looked at Draco.

"Why are you doing that?"

"We aren't going."

"Why not?"

"Because he has no intentions of showing up. His plan is obvious. Make sure we are out of bed after hours, and then, inform Filch that somebody's going to be out of bed after hours. We get expelled, he gets his revenge."

"Revenge, for what?"

"I made sure that Nott would not be the King of Slytherin. You rejected his hand of friendship. We screwed over his ambitions, and attacked his pride. His revenge is to get us expelled. Bit overkill, and the first time he showed the slightest bit of Slytherin cunning."

"What's a Wizard's duel?"

"It's a fight. A fight between Wizards. A fight that is not going to happen."

"Why would I need a second?"

"If you die. Which you aren't, because he isn't going to show up, and neither am I."

"And if we were?"

"We will, and I happen to know some really nasty curses. But he isn't showing up. Neither are we. Do you understand? Tonight, nobody will be out of bed."

Then, they heard a familiar voice behind them. It was Hermione. Maybe Hermione would be able to talk some sense into Harry.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing what you and Nott were saying, and you mustn't go wandering the halls at night. Think of all the points you'll lose for Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.

"Damn it Harry! Weren't you just listening to me? Nott isn't going to show up!"

"How do you know?"

"Because I know how he thinks?"

"How?"

"Because I used to be just like him!"

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. Just believe me when I say he's not showing up."

"And if he does show up, and we don't? We look like cowards!"

"So what? He's not worth losing points for, he's not worth countless detentions, and he's not worth getting expelled for!"

"Draco's right Harry. You can't do this."

A few hours later, Harry went to the bedrooms, while Draco was in the common room. It was Nine-o-clock. Draco nearly fell asleep, when, Draco saw Nico appear out of nowhere.

"Ah! Don't do that!"

"And miss your reaction? You're one of the few mortals I'm allowed to Shadow travel in front of. You doubtlessly have questions. So fire away."

"Why did I accept Nott's challenge? Now Harry is dead set on being in the trophy room at midnight. Nott isn't even going to show up. I had no intention of accepting his challenge. So why did I?"

"Well, some things are fixed points."

"What?"

"Well, sometimes, certain events happen for a reason. Sometimes, the Fates decide that an event is so crucial, that even words will force themselves to come out of their mouths. In this case, Harry must be in the halls after midnight."

"Why?"

"Because, today, is the day he begins his war on Voldemort. He just doesn't realize it yet."

"We're going into the third floor corridor today aren't we?"

"Yep. It's almost time to take an innocent soul to Asphodel."

"What?"

"Well, Quirrellmort didn't do enough bad to justify sending him to the Fields of Punishment, and he didn't do enough good to justify sending him to Elysium. So he's probably going to go to the Fields of Asphodel. Justice. Oh, Quirrellmort's line is cut. He's a goner. Nothing we can do about it. I don't like it, but that's the way it has to be to fit into the Fates' designs. Believe me, you don't want to piss them off."

"So, Harry has to do this?"

"Yes. After all, he's the hero."

"That is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard."

"So, it's the truth. Also, make sure Hermione Granger is with you."

"I assumed that she'd be involved with every important event."

"Yes. She was. But at first, it was as a reluctant participant."

"Damn it. That kid's going to get me killed isn't he?"

"He better not. Remember, you die, and you get a miserable afterlife."

"Right. So, make sure Harry and Hermione are in the trophy room tonight."

"You gotcha."

"Right."

Then, Draco walked into the Dorm room, where Harry was laying in bed.

"Fine. Have it your way. We leave at eleven thirty."

"Really?"

"Yes. I figure, you're going, no matter what I do to try to stop you. Nott's not going to show up, but on the extremely small chance that he does, he knows some nasty curses. If I go with you, there's less of a chance of Nott accidentally killing you. However, I have a few conditions."

"Like what?"

"Condition one, you have never been in a duel before. You will follow my instructions to the letter, when they are given. Understood?"

"Understood."

"And the second you realize that Nott isn't going to show up, we go to the dorm rooms, immediately."

"Agreeable."

"And the third and most important one, we are not discovered. I will not have Hermione yelling at us for docked points. I have no wish to be in detention for something as small as Nott. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good."

The rest of the night, Draco was wondering what was so important, so crucial to the war against Voldemort, that this farce was forced to be repeated. That Harry Potter's best friend would lead him into a duel. God damn it. Not for the first time, Draco wished he'd been Potter's friend, that way his foreknowledge would be more detailed. Draco was beginning to realize that this wouldn't be as easy as he initially thought. Then, Draco noticed that the time was eleven thirty. He and Harry got out of bed, and walked into the common room, where they saw Hermione.

"I can't believe you're doing this Harry! And Draco, I thought you had more sense!"

"So did I, believe me. It's the Insane One. He must be rubbing off on me. I insists on going, and I can't stop him. But, on the hell freezes over chance that Nott does show up, I can protect him from Nott's nastier curses."

"Nott's only a first year."

"Nott's father was one of the Dark Wanker's servants. Nott grew up learning some very nasty curses. Nott, though unlikely, could use this as an opportunity to get rid of Harry. I have to be there just in case."

"I thought about going to McGonagall. She'd have put a stop to it."

"And put Harry in detention. This way, he has a slight chance of getting out of it."

With that Draco led Harry out the portrait hole. Hermione was not so easily deterred. She followed them out the portrait hole.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves? I don't want Slytherin to win the House Cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about switching spells."

Then, Draco actually snapped.

"I don't care about the House Cup. All it does is encourage House Rivalry. That house cup leads to Slytherins joining psychopaths like the Dark Wanker, or before him, Grindelwald! Especially when Dumbledore gives an unreal and unfair amount of points to one house due to personal favoritism. So, no I don't care. I don't see why you should either."

"All right, I warned you. But you just remember what I said tomorrow when you're on the train home tomorrow. You're so-"

Then, against all odds, the Fat Lady decided to take a midnight stroll, and abandon her portrait, leaving even Hermione stranded.

"Now what am I going to do?" Hermione asked. Draco thought that her voice was oddly shrilly tonight, but then decided it must be out of panic from the accidental rule breaking. Draco was also wondering when the Hermione Granger that punched him in the face would be making an appearance, because if his soul mate was always such a joy kill, he'd hang himself, consequences in the afterlife be damned.

"Well, you're already breaking the rules, albeit, accidentally, you might as well actually do something rather than sit outside the dormitory all night long."

"Like what? Watch a duel?"

"No, join me in telling Harry, I told you so!"

"He'll be there! You don't just challenge somebody to a fight and not show up."

"He stole Neville's remembrall remember? He has no honor! He's not going to show up. We are walking right into a trap. We are walking into a trap, we are locked outside our dormitory, and I am starting to wonder why I bother being your friend."

"Because I have a great personality?"

"That can't be it."

Draco and Harry started to leave, when moments later, they were joined by Hermione.

"I'm coming with you."

"Alright by me. Is it alright with you?"

"Sure. Come along. Wait, why?"

"Do you honestly think I'm going to sit around and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us, I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"Wait, what was that?" Draco asked.

"Mrs. Norris?" Harry asked.

It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. Draco did not see that coming. Having Hermione along was always part of what needed to be done, but Neville wasn't the force to be reckoned with that he was destined to be. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep but jerked suddenly as they crept nearer.

"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours. I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."

"Keep your voice down Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere. God knows where."

"What's with your fowl mood Draco?"

"I don't want to be here. I know it's a trap. I know we're walking into a trap. I know we're willingly walking into a trap. That never ends well for the villain."

"We're not the villain Draco!"

"Really? We're the ones looking for a fight and breaking the rules, while Nott is in bed."

"He's not in bed, he's waiting for us to meet him in combat."

"Neville, you might as well come along. Can't leave you to the mercy of Peeves."

"Thanks."

Eventually, at midnight, Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Neville were in the trophy room. Moments later, they noticed, Nott still wasn't there.

"I told you, he's not coming."

"He might be late!"

"Why do you insist in treating Nott as a man with honor? He has none!"

Then, they hear voices. Like Draco expected, it was Filch.

"Sniff around my sweet, they may be lurking in a corner."

At that Harry then motioned towards a direction. They ran for it. After a brief run in with Peeves, they found themselves in front of a locked door. Draco pulled out his wand, waved it while thinking Alohamora, and the door opened. Hermione looked at Draco questioningly. Draco, Hermione, Harry, and Neville walked into the room.

"I told you so Harry! I told you so! But you didn't listen!"

That's when Draco noticed the giant three headed nightmare dog. A Cerberus in a school. A bloody Cerberus in a bloody school! Who thought of that? Oh, the third floor corridor. The first obstacle for the philosopher's stone. That was why this idiocy was necessary.

"Come on."

Draco opened the door, and they burst out. They wordlessly walked to the Gryffindor tower, where the Fat Lady was back.

"Pigs snout."

The door opened, and they went back into the common room.

"You're going to get me killed one day Harry," Draco stated.

"Who brings that monster into a school?" Harry asked. "If anything deserves fresh air and sunshine, that monster does."

"Honestly! You don't use your eyes don't you? Didn't you see what it was standing on?" said Hermione.

"The floor? I wasn't staring at it's feet. I was more focused on the heads."

"Hermione's right. It's not here for fun and games. It was standing on a trap door. That means it's guarding something. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. If you wake me up for another suicide mission before the end of the day, I will feed you to a giant rhinoceros. Understand me?"

Before Harry could answer, Draco walked off, and collapsed in the bed. He really needed some rest, before insane best friends decided to wrestle ogres, or go hunting for werewolves.


	9. Harry Should Stay In Bed For Halloween

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Sorry.

A/N:

Chapter 9: Harry Should Stay in Bed For Halloween

Nott couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Harry and Draco were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired. Draco couldn't believe his ears when he heard that Harry thought this was a brilliant adventure. Personally, he thought Neville had the right idea. Draco didn't particularly care about the stone, all he cared about was how much he never wanted to see that thing again. Harry was curious about the package that was moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts. Draco couldn't discourage talk about it, but he kept his tongue. He knew it was the Philosopher's Stone. Hermione was refusing to speak to Harry and Draco. Harry didn't mind, but Draco found himself missing conversation with sane people. People who didn't have a Death Wish.

The owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, as everybody's attention was caught by a long thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand. Then, came a letter on top of it. Luckily, Harry opened the letter first. He read it, and immediately handed it to Draco.

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick, or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.

Professor McGonagall.

Harry and Draco immediately left the hall, with the broom in hand. However, half way across the entrance hall, they ran into Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle. Nott seized the package from Harry and felt it.

"That's a broomstick," Nott said as he tossed it back to Harry with an odd mixture of envy, anger, and glee on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed."

"That's not just any broom, that's a Nimbus Two Thousand, Nott. What have you got at tin house? A Silver Arrow? They're flashy, but they don't have the same balance or speed as a Nimbus."

"What would you know about it? You don't have one either! You have a Comet Two Sixty!"

"I'm quite attached to my Comet Two Sixty! It's better than a Silver Arrow."

Before Nott could answer, Flitwick appeared at Nott's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.

"Potter's been sent a broomstick." Nott immediately said. Draco couldn't wait for Harry to say it. However, Flitwick would have to say everything he had to say.

"Yes, yes, that's right," Professor Flitwick said, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me about the special circumstances, Potter. What model is it?"

"Nimbus Two Thousand, sir, and it's really thanks to Nott here that I got it."

That was it. The perfect thing Harry could have said. The sentence that haunted Draco's nightmares for a week in the previous time line. What's more, Draco could see the truth in the statement this time around. This was one of the few times Draco enjoyed watching Nott make Draco's prior mistakes. Harry and Draco went to the common room howling at Nott's obvious rage and confusion.

"Well, it's true. If Nott hadn't taken the remembrall, I wouldn't have made the team."

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from behind them. It was Hermione, stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand. God, was she this much of a joy kill last time around?

"I thought you weren't talking to us."

"Don't be so rude Harry. She has good reason not to talk to you. After all, yesterday was your fault. Now, what's your problem Hermione? I have never been anything but nice to you! I try to be your friend, but you are so cold and honesty a bit of a joy kill! What's with you?"

"Muggles don't like what's different than them. I could do things that scared them. I read a lot. I knew all the answers to every question. I didn't have to study, but I did so anyway. I was picked on. Every day, it was the same. Over and over. The only solace I got was when I was at home, or when a teacher was watching. It would always stop for a while when I went to a teacher. I follow the rules, because the rules exist for a reason. They keep us safe."

"Not in the Wizarding world. In the Wizarding World, the laws keep my father out of prison. My father is among those that followed He-Who-Must-Not-Get-Laid. He plead imperious curse, and nobody thought to check his forearm. Because of this, and the fact he paid people off, he is a free man. Pretending to be a civilized member of society, when really he is a devout believer in the Dark Wanker's agenda. I have to keep my mouth shut about anything I really am, because if I don't, my father will kill me. So, I don't believe the rules exist to keep us safe. They exist to keep those who did wrong out of Azkaban."

Harry, then gave a little about himself.

"Hermione, you weren't the only one bullied in the muggle world. I didn't even have the solace of a peaceful home. My aunt and uncle are afraid of magic. They raised my cousin to beat me up everyday. When he actually managed to hit me, they'd give him candy. At school, he is the head bully. He has a gang of idiots who follow his every whim. I had no friends because anybody who tried to befriend me got beat up. Teachers were paid off by my uncle. I didn't know what my name was until I was six. Every time I tried to follow the rules, I would get beat up by my cousin, and when I broke them, I would get beat up. Not once did a figure of authority ever do anything to help. Not once."

Once again, Draco felt unbelievable rage towards the world. Once again, he was thankful that he'd taken care of the Dursley issue. He hadn't, however, even considered that Hermione had been bullied. He'd have to take care of that personally. But not yet. He need a plan, and he needed to lose the trace. God damn the trace. It was annoying. Draco started to understand why Hermione was such a stickler for the rules.

Hermione went up the stairs, and Harry and Draco unwrapped Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand. The first broom ever to beat Draco in Quidditch. Draco hated that he wouldn't be playing Quidditch this time around, except when Harry was in detention or the hospital wing. Oh dear god, Quidditch. Quirrellmort. Draco had no idea how Harry got out of that one. Then, they waited till six thirty, when Harry went out to the Quidditch Pitch for his first training session. Draco took the time to grab a stack of parchment, that he spent the night writing a contract on, and go to the library where he knew Daphne Greengrass would probably be.

She was there. She was reading furiously. Draco walked up to her. She jumped when he spoke to her.

"What did you find?"

"I found out that you were right. Sirius Black is still the Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. I haven't spent long enough looking, but it's looking like he never received a trial. A Lord of an Ancient and Most Noble House, thrown into Azkaban without a trial. It's unthinkable."

"What's worse, if it can happen to one, what's to say it won't happen to say, Edward Greengrass, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Greengrass?"

"What's in it for you?"

"You'll see."

"I'm beginning to see the merit of allying with you Malfoy."

"I hoped you might. Are we going to finalize the alliance between us?"

"Yes."

"I brought the paperwork. I spent the last five weeks drawing it up, editing it, making it reasonable. I think we can both agree on the terms, but you can spend the night reading it before you sign it."

"I intend to."

"Here you go."

Draco handed her the contract, and walked off. He'd accomplished what he intended to accomplish. By the end of the day, she'd have read the contract, made a few modifications that he already anticipated, and the alliance would be sealed. This alliance was crucial. It would get Sirius Black out of Azkaban, Peter Pettigrew arrested, and House Greengrass no longer neutral in the war. He needed this to work.

When Draco Malfoy returned to his room, he got to work writing a letter to Rita Skeeter. The letter informed her that he knew she was an unregistered animagus. It also informed her that Sirius Black was never legally disowned, and that Minister Bagnold chucked Sirius Black, now the Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, into Azkaban without a trial with the backing of Barty Crouch. Then he suggested that she do some digging, and give her research to Amelia Bones. Then, he encouraged her to keep the knowledge to herself, as he didn't want the wrong people to get hold of this information. After he finished the thirtieth revision of that letter, Harry walked in, obviously having enjoyed Quidditch practice. Draco went to bed, and fell asleep. Today had been a long day.

A few weeks later Draco and Harry walked into breakfast. Draco was understandably nervous. Why was he nervous? Because, it was Halloween. Draco had no idea how the troll got in last time. He had no idea how the Golden Trio stopped it last time. He had absolutely no idea how he was going to stop it this time. Oh well, at least he's be able to make things fly in public. It would make things a bit easier. He was already getting questioning glances from Hermione for his careless nonverbal spell work. But in charms, Flitwick was going to be teaching the art of levitation. Draco paired himself with Harry, and Hermione was paired with Seamus.

"Now don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing. Swish and Flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important. Never forget Wizard Buffario, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

It was difficult. Why? He had to make sure that Hermione got it right first. The second person to get it right is never looked at suspiciously. The first always is. He sabotaged his spell in every way imaginable. At least his feather hadn't caught on fire like Dean's had..

Seamus Finnigan, that idiot at the next table with Hermione, wasn't having much luck.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted over and over, waving his hands like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Draco heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa. Make the gar nice and long."

"You do it then, if you're so clever," Seamus snarled.

Hermione rolled up her sleeves, swished, and flicked, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Hermione's feather rose off the desk, and hovered about four feet in the air.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everybody see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Draco could see that Seamus Finnigan, the idiotic Irishman was in an extremely bad mood.

After class, Draco overheard Seamus talking to Dean Thomas.

"She's a bloody nightmare. No wonder there ain't nobody who can stand her."

Then, Draco saw, Hermione pushing past Seamus, her eyes full of tears. Draco was not happy.

"I think she heard you Seamus." Draco said.

"So, she must have noticed that she has no friends."

"What am I, chopped liver?"

With that Draco and Harry walked away. Hermione didn't show up for their next class, or at all that whole afternoon. Draco was starting to get a little worried. Especially when Draco overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender Brown of the Questionable Intelligence that Hermione was crying in the girls lavatories and wanted to be left alone. A moment later, he walked into the Great Hall with Harry, and stepped into a scene from his memories. The Halloween decorations were there, in their full spender. A thousand live bats fluttered around the halls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables, making the candles in the jack-o-lanterns flicker. The feast appeared on the plates, and they dug in. Then, before too much eating could happen, Professor Quirrellmort burst in.

"Troll in the dungeons! I thought you ought to know." Quirrellmort gasped, before promptly fainting. Well, that answered that question. Draco couldn't prove it, but he would willingly bet his entire trust fund that Quirrellmort let the troll in as a distraction. That's just the sort of thing the Dark Wanker would do to achieve his means. The important thing was, Draco knew where the troll was going. He'd go in with Harry, save Hermione, kill the troll. Keep Harry and Hermione alive, and off the troll. Then, there was an uproar. Panic filled the room. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled. "Lead your students back to the dormitories immediately."

Normally, Draco would have said something, but he knew that that the Slytherins would not encounter the troll, and he did not need them to stay here. After all, he needed to save Hermione from the troll. Harry and Draco followed Percy the Prefectly Pompous Weasel. Then, Harry grabbed Draco's arm.

"I've just thought. Hermione."

"I know. I'm not going to the Gryffindor common room yet. I'm headed to the girls lavatories."

Eventually, they broke away from the group, and at some point, they saw Snape crossing the corridor and disappearing from view. Draco knew that Snape was headed to the stone. Snape probably suspected Quirrellmort. Knowing Snape's allegiance brought some clarity.

"What's he doing? Why isn't he in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Search me," Draco lied. Foreknowledge was not easy. Too much knowledge led to questions that Draco wasn't allowed to answer. Damned contract.

They crept quietly after Snape, in the direction of the girls lavatory. Then, they smelled it. The troll. The troll in the room. It was twelve feet tall. It's skin was a dull gray. It's body was like a giant boulder with a much smaller boulder on top. The worst bit was the smell, like human excrement after letting stew for a week. That smell was incredible. It was holding a club, large and wooden, which dragged across the floor. It was big, dumb, and honestly, Draco felt a little sorry for it, because he had no intentions of letting it hurt Harry or Hermione. Thus, Draco had to kill it.

The troll stopped at the doorway and peered inside. It wiggled it's ears. Then, it entered the room. The girls lavatory. Draco was on the clock.

"The key's in the lock. We could lock it in." said Harry.

"Bad idea. That's the girls lavatory. If we lock it, we lock it in with Hermione. We have to go in now."

"Since when did you have the suicidal ideas?"

"It's not suicidal if I kill it."

Then, they heard the scream. Hermione had just found out about the troll. Game on. Draco and Harry walked into the room.

"Harry, get her out of here."

"What about you?"

"I told you. I will not risk anybody else running into it. I'm killing the troll."

"Okay."

Draco then used a silent Wingardium Leviosa to use the club to trip the troll. The troll fell to it's knees. It slowly got back up, and turned towards Draco. It started to walk to him. Harry slowly got Hermione out of there. Immediately after Hermione was out of the room, Draco pointed his wand at the troll, and prayed he had the theory down.

"Sectumsempra!" Draco shouted at the top of his lungs as he prayed a silent prayer of thanks to Hades that he'd been Potter's enemy in the previous time line. The trolls head went flying off it's neck in a clean cut. He'd used it perfectly. He'd killed it. Then, he turned his head, and saw Harry and Hermione looking inside the room. They looked stunned. They walked in calmly. Then, the professor's burst in.

"What on earth were you thinking? You're lucky you weren't killed. Why weren't you in your dormitory?'

Draco was about to tell the truth to Professor McGonagall, but Hermione then decided to loosen up on her drastic rule following. She decided to tell a lie to the professor. It was a lie that sounded better than the truth.

"Please, Professor McGonagall. They were looking for me." she said.

"Mrs. Granger!"

"I went looking for the troll. I've read all about them. I know their weaknesses. I thought I could take it on my own. It was foolish. If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Draco distracted it, while Harry got me out, then Draco killed it. They didn't have any time to go fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Draco and Harry tried not to look as though this story wasn't new. Draco thought this story would make Hermione look better to their peers. Someone who was brave enough to go troll hunting certainly belonged in Gryffindor, just like somebody who killed a troll. Now, for McGonagall to dock points off Gryffindor.

"Mrs. Granger, five points will be taken off Gryffindor for this. I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their towers."

Hermione walked out, probably stunned by what she did. Then, Professor McGonagall turned towards Harry and Draco.

"Well, I still say you're lucky. Not many first years could have gone up against a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

As they walked away, Harry asked Draco a question.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Harry asked. The true answer was, Potter used it on him in sixth year. Draco was getting used to telling the lie.

"My father taught it to me. For enemies only he said."

They had reached the Fat Lady.

"Pigs snout," they said and entered.

The entrance was packed and noisy. Everybody was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door waiting for them. There was a brief, awkward pause. Then, they all said thanks, and hurried off to get their plates. Hermione was their friend from then on. They knew each other's pasts, and had become a bit closer, but the mountain troll sealed the deal. The Golden Trio was finally complete.


	10. How To Not Fall Off A Broomstick

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I just write in her world. Oh, and this chapter, I take directly from the book. I'm sorry, but Draco didn't play in this game in either time line, so the line up for both teams is exactly the same.

A/N: One Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference in here. I love that book.

Chapter 10: How To Not Fall Off A Broomstick

Draco Malfoy found that life actually seemed to slow down a bit. Quirrellmort seemed to be irritated, but that was nothing new. He didn't see Harry a lot, now that Harry had regular sessions of Quidditch practices. Oliver Wood seemed only to care about Quidditch. Draco didn't blame him. If Gryffindor's seeker was as bad as last year's seeker, they'd lose the cup, and Slytherin would walk away with a victory, again. It would be humiliating for Wood. It might even cost Wood's Quidditch career. However, Draco had the advantage of already knowing that Harry would be brilliant. It was one of the only things that Draco respected about Potter.

Draco was enjoying having Hermione as a friend, and he could tell that Harry was relieved as well. Harry was finding it difficult to balance homework, classes, and Quidditch. Especially considering that Harry seemed to spend almost every second not in class in Quidditch practice. Again, Draco could respect that. Draco was relieved. He hated editing Harry's essays. The sentences were sloppy, short, and imprecise. They were average for a first year. Nothing special, but Draco still had the mind of a Seventh year, despite having the body of an eleven year old.

So, Snape took Harry's book, Quidditch Through the Ages, and Harry went to get it back. When Harry came back, he appeared to be out of breathe.

"Snape tried to get past the three headed dog," Harry said.

"No, why would he do that?" asked Draco. He really wanted Harry to get off the Severus is a bad man tirade. Again, knowing where Severus' loyalties lie was incredibly helpful when making decisions.

"Besides, I know he's not very nice, but he's a teacher. He wouldn't try to steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe." Hermione said.

"Not all teachers are loyal to Dumbledore." Draco said. He needed to soften the blow to Hermione. Her respect to authority was actually quite concerning. Then, with her background, it was instilled pretty deep. Draco would have to shaken it bit by bit.

"So you think Snape is trying to steal the stone?" Harry asked Draco.

"I didn't say that. I said that not all teachers are loyal to Dumbledore," Draco pointed out.

"What's Snape after? What's Dumbledore hiding at Hogwarts?" Harry asked. It was probably a rhetorical question. However, Draco had no intentions of just telling Harry. Harry would have to find out the old fashioned way. Harry and Hermione went to bed, and Draco slipped out of the common room.

He walked to Dumbledore's office. He needed to get his plans involving Sirius Black moving, but they had to be subtle about it, or Pettigrew might get wind of the plans. Draco walked up to the Gargoyle, and said calmly, "Lemon Drops."

Then, the Gargoyle moved. Draco found himself in Dumbledore's office, before the man himself. It was time for the third move in the game.

"Professor, do you mind if we speak. It's time I gave you a bit of information."

"What do you intend to tell me?"

"Peter Pettigrew is still alive. He's a Death Eater. He betrayed the Potters. Sirius Black is innocent."

"What?" Dumbledore asked. Dumbledore leaned foward. He looked completely and totally surprised. "But that's impossible. Sirius Black was the secret keeper. I cast the Fidelius myself."

"Except, this is Sirius Black we're talking about. He would have never allowed himself to be James Potter's secret keeper. He'd have considered it too obvious. He'd have gone to the least likely trustworthy candidate. The spy, Peter Pettigrew. They would have talked you into it, and then, after you swapped secret keepers, you would have obliviated yourself so you would have no memory of the swap. I really think Sirius should get a trial. But if at all possible, could you please arrange it so that knowledge of the trial is kept out of the Slytherin common room?"

"Why?"

"Because, Peter Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus living with Ronald Weasley. It's a rat. You know, we could use that. Rats aren't allowed in Hogwarts. We could do a pet check. Unauthorized pets are confiscated for the remainder of the year. Then, out of curiosity, test all of them to make sure they are really pets. Make sure to do this while Amelia Bones is in the room. I want her to catch Pettigrew alive. That along with the other moves I've made should make her convinced that Sirius is innocent. Checkmate. Peter might escape, but it won't matter. The important end result will still be the same. Plus, Peter's animagus form will become common knowledge. It would be harder for him to find the Dark Wanker. Would take longer because he can't exactly move when people are awake. Might take about three years for Peter to make his way to Albania as a rat."

"That's a sound idea. It would get Sirius out of Azkaban. When do you want me to start?"

"Second year. I will do something that makes it necessary.."

"What do you intend to do?"

"I happen to know a Ravenclaw with a tarantula , and a Slytherin afraid of spiders. I will take advantage of the situation."

"How?"

"A wizard never tells his secrets. This time next year, we'll be drinking Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters."

"Not going to happen."

"I'm seventeen. Maybe eighteen."

"Your body is eleven. You are not going to start drinking."

"Fine."

Then, Draco turned around, and went to the dorm room, and went to bed, satisfied with the progress he made today. Now, he needed to sleep. After all, he had to stay awake for Harry's first Quidditch game.

The next day, Draco was ready. He would trust Hermione to take care of the Professor, while he did the counter curse. Gryffindor would beat Slytherin in the Quidditch game. Everything would go as expected, except Harry's chances of survival double.

After convincing Harry to eat, Harry left with the team. Oliver Wood's dream team. The team that operated smoothly. The team that moved as one, and understood exactly what their purpose in the team was. The only team that Draco couldn't throttle when he was a Slytherin. This year, Harry had no real competition. Cedric Diggory wasn't captain of Hufflepuff. Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker, was good, but she wasn't as good as Harry was. The seeker for Slytherin was good, but again was nothing compared to Harry. If Harry could stay out of detention or the hospital, Gryffindor would win the Quidditch Cup.

It was eleven o'clock. Draco was sitting in the Quidditch stands, next to him was Hermione, and the Oaf for some reason. With them was also Neville, Finnigan, and Dean Thomas. They had a large banner that said Potter for Minister. Dean, who was an exceptional artist drew a large Gryffindor lion on it, and Draco charmed it to roar whenever Gryffindor scored, and when Harry caught the snitch. However, the others didn't know about that charm. Hermione charmed the paint to change colors. Draco was going to enjoy being on the winning team for once. After what seemed like forever, they came out. The Gryffindors and the Slytherins. Madam Hooch was refereeing, which meant next to nothing, because Flint was known for his willingness to foul to win. Draco knew that would happen again.

Then, the Snitch was released, followed by the bludgers, and then the Quaffle was thrown into the air, and the game was on. Draco was enjoying Lee Jordan's commentary for once.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angela Johnson of Gryffindor- what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive to-"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry Professor."

This commentary was already awesome. Who needs unbiased judges anyways? Let Lee Jordan do all of them. Hell, after Lee Jordan leaves Hogwarts, ask him to come back to continue the commentary for the rest of his life.

"And she's really belting along up there., a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good friend of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve- back to Johnson, and- no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle, and off he goes. Flint flying like and eagle up there. He's going to sc-no. Stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle- That's chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and-OUCH- that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger- Quaffle taken by the Slytherins- that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal post, but he's blocked by a second Bludger, sent his way by Fred or George Weasley. Can't tell which. Nice play by Gryffindor Beater anyway and Johnson in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes-she's really flying-dodges a speeding Bludger-the goal posts ahead-come on now, Angelina-Keeper Bletchley dives,-misses-GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

The Gryffindors cheered, the Slytherins howled and moaned. The lion on the poster roared, and the people around it jumped a bit. Draco probably should have mentioned the roaring bit. Oh well, their reaction was priceless.

"Budge up there, move along."

It was the oaf. If memory was correct, the oaf was a valuable friend of Potter's, not to mention a landmine of information. Flattery and alcohol was all it took to get information out of him, again if memory acted as it should. Draco then gestured to Hermione to squeeze next to him, so the oaf would have enough room.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," the oaf said. "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch, eh?"

"No, but Harry's kept himself out of trouble for once. It won't last long," Draco replied.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee continued with the commentary. "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds towards the-wait a moment-was that the Snitch?"

It was, both Higgs, the Slytherin seeker, and Harry saw it. They both started to dive, and Harry was faster. Draco winced. Hermione looked at him confused. Then, WHAM! Marcus Flint slammed into Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course. It was a cheap trick, but then, this was Flint. Once again, Hermione looked at him, but this time, it was suspiciously.

"Foul!" the Gryffindor's screamed.

Madam Hooch screeched at Flint, and a Free Shot was made. In the confusion the Snitch was gone. That meant the game would continue. Lee was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So-after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-"

"Jordan!"

"I mean that open and revolting foul."

"Jordan!"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

Then, it happened. Harry's broom started to buck him off. Draco then pointed Harry out to Hermione.

"Someone's cursed Harry's broom." Draco said.

"Who?"

"Give me a second. A curse like that, no student could have done that, so it must be a graduate."

Draco scanned the crowd from his binoculars. Mainly the teachers. Sure enough, Quirrell and Snape were both muttering. Draco knew that it was Quirrell, but knew that Hermione would take it being Snape more seriously.

"Either Snape or Quirrell. Take care of it. I'm going to start the counter-curse."

It seemed nobody noticed that Harry was not in control of his broom. Draco hoped that Harry would be back in control of his broom soon. At that Draco immediately began the counter curse. It was a long and difficult spell that Flitwick taught them towards the end of seventh year. Required repetition and precise timing and pronunciation. It was some of the trickiest bit of wandless magic he'd ever done. Unfortunately, Draco's first year body was growing tired of using so much magic. Then, the bucking stopped. Snape's cloak was on fire, and Quirrell was on the ground, and Hermione was back at Draco's side. Then, Harry zoomed away. And moments, later, he went into a dive. Stood on his broomstick. Harry saw the Snitch, and was going to catch it. Then, once again, Draco, knowing what was going to happened winced. Hermione looked at him, again questioningly. Then, Harry was thrown off his broomstick. Hermione looked at him again. Once again, her glance was filled with suspicion. She knew something was off. Harry started to choke, then, the Snitch fell into his hand. He held it up. The game was won. Gryffindor had won.

Moments later, they were having tea with Hagrid.

"It was Snape," Hermione said. "Draco and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick."

"Him or Quirrell. I don't know which one. I prefer the Quirrell theory." Draco said.

"Rubbish. Why would Snape, or Quirrell do something like that?"

"I found out something about Snape. He tried to get past the three headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he's trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

"How do you know about Fluffy?"

"FLUFFY?" Draco said. He should have known it had a cutesy name. It was Hagrid after all.

"Yeah," he said. "He's mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year-I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

"Yes," Harry asked.

"It doesn't matter." Draco said.

"But Snape's trying to steal it."

"I still don't think it's Professor Snape.

"Exac'ly. Snape's a Hogwarts teacher. He'd do nothing of the sort."

"So why did he just try to kill Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I still think it was Quirrell." Draco said.

"I'm telling yeh, yer wrong! I don't know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn't try an' kill a student! Neither would Quirrell! Now listen to me, all three of yeh. Yer meddlin' in things that don't concern yeh. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel-"

"Aha!" Harry said triumphantly. Draco felt his heart drop. So it begins. "There's a Nicolas Flamel involved is there?"

Hagrid looked, rightfully to, furious with himself. Draco was furious with him, because this meant that Draco would be force to the library to discover the Philosopher's Stone, except he couldn't exactly tell them. He needed them to discover it themselves. He hated the life of the sidekick sometimes.


	11. The Useless Mirror

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Sadly JK is immune to the imperious curse. I need to find a different method.

A/N: I have a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference and a Demolition Man reference. Cookies to those who find them.

Chapter 11 The Useless Mirror

Christmas was coming, and cheerful holiday fever spread through the air. The grounds were covered in several feet of snow. Owls were finding it difficult to get in and deliver the mail. Those that made it had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly again.

Draco had managed to ease Hermione's suspicions. He finished moving this year's trust fund into his private vault. He'd written several letters to Sirius Black, outlining his plans. He needed Sirius Black to have a trial soon. The trial would be short, especially when Sirius Black was giving Veritaserum.

Nobody could wait for holidays to start. Worst of them all were Sev's class in the dungeons, where the cold was so great, their breath was visible for thirty seconds, and they kept as close to their cauldrons as possible.

"I feel so sorry," Nott said. "For all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

Nott was an irritant. He was furious at Gryffindor's victory, and even more so that nobody found his jokes about Harry the Seeker funny. So he went back to taunting Harry about having no real family. Just like Draco had in the previous time line. It was making Draco sick.

But alas, Draco and Harry would both be staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of people who would be staying for the holidays, and they'd both signed up at once. It would be Draco's first Christmas away from home. To be honest, Draco really didn't mind. Better than pretending to believe that blood purity bullshit.

After they left the dungeons at the end of potions, they found themselves blocked by a giant tree. The feet and the loud huffing told them that Hagrid was behind it. Draco found it.

"You want any help Hagrid?"

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Draco."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Nott's whiny voice from behind them. "Have you no shame Malfoy?"

"No, I really don't. Honor, I haven't got that either. Pride, nope, lost that when I learned that everything I ever believed was a lie. Cunning and bravery, got that, but not much in terms of bravery."

"What does it take to make you angry?"

"Nothing. I'm always angry. Makes fools like you seem amusing to me. Because, when you stop to think about it, you are overcompensating. Completely disgracing your house. House of the cunning indeed."

Nott walked away with a huff. Harry and Hermione looked at Draco with shock.

"How did you do that?"

"I told you, I understand him. When you understand somebody completely, you simply can't hate him. You understand them, and you know how to make them do what you want. After that, it's simply Slytherin cunning combined with Gryffindor bravery. Very difficult, but very fun."

"I hate Nott. Nott and Snape."

"I don't hate either one."

"Come on, cheer up Harry. It's nearly Christmas. Tell yeh what, come with me to the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So the Golden Trio followed Hagrid and the tree to the Great Hall, where McGonagall and Flitwick were decorating the hall.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree- put it in the far corner, would you?" Flitwick asked.

The hall looked even more impressive than usual, and that was saying something. Holly and mistletoe hung along the walls, and twelve Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me-Harry, Draco, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Not the library again," groaned Draco. He was tired of this Nicolas Flamel bullshit. He was starting to wish that Flamel was never born. Draco kept making sure that he only looked in books that Flamel would not appear in. He had a funny feeling that Harry was supposed to discover him.

"The library?" said Hagrid following them. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"No, these bozos want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, so Hermione and Harry have been dragging me to the library to help them find out who he is."

"They what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here- I've told yeh- drop it. It's nothing to you what the dog's guardin'."

For once, Draco agreed with Hagrid completely. But, alas, events seemed to be dragging them to a confrontation with Quirrellmort. Draco still had no idea what the obstacles were, but they couldn't be very impressive if three first years could get past them.

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.

Damn Hermione's obsessive need to know everything. It was going to get him killed one of these days. That and Harry's hero complex. Then, Harry had to go fishing once more.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble? We've must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere. Just give us a hint. I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothin'." Hagrid said. Draco once again thought that Hagrid had the right idea.

"Any chance of giving up now?" Draco asked hopefully. He really didn't want to go chasing after the Philosopher's Stone. It would be exhausting. It would be dangerous. He didn't want to do it.

"How can you say that? Don't you want to stop Snape from stealing whatever it is?"

"For the billionth time, I don't think Professor Snape is trying to steal the stone. I think Quirrell is a much more likely suspect."

Indeed, they had been searching books for Flamel. Draco's only consolation was that Hermione and Harry were looking in the wrong place. They were scanning books like Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century and Notable Magical Names of Our Time. Harry often would stare at the Restricted Section. Draco was relieved that you needed a note to get access, otherwise, Harry would be scanning some very dangerous books.

After yet another useless jaunt into the library to try to find Flamel, they met outside the library all confirming that they found nothing.

"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. Great, now he was going to be searching the library during a Hermione-free time. Just wonderful.

"And you can ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," Draco said sarcastically. "It'll be safe to ask them."

"Very safe, as they're both dentists." Hermione said.

"What's a dentist?" Draco asked confused.

"It's somebody who helps repair teeth." Hermione said.

"Fine, don't tell me."

Once the holidays had started, Draco and Harry were having a good time. Too good a time to think much about Flamel. They had the dormitory to themselves, and the common room was emptier than usual, so they were able to get good armchairs. They ate anything they could spear with a toasting fork and plotted ways to get Nott expelled, not that Nott would fall for any of them. Draco also started learning how to play chess. The Weasel, who stayed behind because his parents were in Romania, was very helpful in this aspect. As Draco anticipated, once he got the hang of the rules, he became very good. Which was handy because he knew that chess was one of the obstacles blocking the Philosopher's Stone. Draco's cunning was very useful in this game indeed.

On Christmas Eve, Draco knew that he wouldn't get very many presents. Draco didn't mind. The only things his father gave him in the previous time line he'd miss were his Hand of Glory, which he'd have to get before Nott could, and his Nimbus Two Thousand and One, which he'd have to buy himself if he wanted a spot on the Quidditch team in a few years, because he was fairly certain his father would be less than accommodating for a Gryffindor son than a Slytherin. But, Draco didn't care about gifts this year. He was looking foward to the food, and the celebrations.

That night, once again, he didn't go to sleep. He didn't have time. He knew that it was approaching. He wanted to set a trap for Quirrellmort. It had to be a good trap. Clever. Cunning. Something that the Dark Wanker would not expect. Luckily, Draco was very cunning indeed. Quirrell would certainly die, but Draco didn't care about Quirrell. He was small fish who'd chosen his side. Draco was going to declare his side, stop Voldie Moldy from getting the stone, and save the world. So he went to Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, I need access to the stone chamber."

"What do you intend to do?"

"I plan to lay a trap for the Dark Wanker. He will not gain the Stone if I have anything to say about it."

"What do you have in mind?"

"It's something so simple, it might just work."

Draco outlined his plan. It was thorough. It needed to be thorough with the Dark Wanker involved. Draco didn't even know if it would work, but at worst, it would provide a weakened Quirrellmort for him to fight.

After he outlined his plan, and Dumbledore helped refine it a bit, Draco and Dumbledore were both confident with it. It would be implemented soon. All Dumbledore needed to do was wait until moving the final defense. Then, Draco wrote a few letters to Sirius, Hermione, and the Werewolf. Draco needed to find start placing the seed that Sirius might be innocent, and that the Rat might be alive in the Werewolf's mind. That way, after second year, after Sirius' trial, Sirius, the Werewolf, and Draco could take down the Rat, should Plan A fail. Always good to have a Plan B. He had Rita Skeeter working on her proof, Daphne coming up with proof to back Rita up, Dumbledore, catching Peter red handed, and Sirius' trial in the works, and nobody except those he gave information to knew about it.

He bet his entire Gringotts vault on an upset victory of the Chudley Cannons over the Holyhead Harpies. His vault would double, and he'd be able to make an even large bet with the goblins during fourth year. Within a few years, and a few wise investments, Draco would be wealthier than his father, and his father would never be able to touch Draco's fortune. With that fortune, he placed a few select reporters, including Rita Skeeter, in his payroll. He'd make use of them later.

Then, it was Christmas. Draco wasn't exactly surprised to see that he didn't have a lot of presents. Nor was he surprised that Harry had more than he did. Draco didn't really care about either one. He just wanted to enjoy Christmas with his best friend, even if his friend was occasionally suicidal. Harry, Draco could tell, was excited about the presents. He went directly to the presents. Harry opened up his first gift, which was from Hagrid, and inside it was a flute. The second gift was a very small package. Inside was the oddest thing Draco had ever seen. It appeared to be Muggle currency.

"That's friendly," Harry said.

"Weird! What an odd shape. This is Muggle money?"

"You can keep it," Harry said. Draco chuckled as he imagined his father's reaction to his latest gift. "Hagrid, and my aunt and uncle. Who sent me these?"

"That one is from me." Draco said. He'd spent ten galleons on it. He had a funny feeling it would come in handy for Harry. Harry opened it, and he saw a book. It was titled: Five Thousand Ways to Detect Love Potions.

"Seriously?"

"You're rich, you're handsome, your famous, and you're the head of an Ancient and Most Noble House. Love potions are a certainty in your life. It will benefit you greatly to be able to detect them now. Start reading it now. It will save your fortune, your influence, and eventually your life."

Draco also sent Hermione a book, actually, he sent Hermione three books. Oolon Colluphid's controversial philisophical blockbuster trilogy, Where God Went Wrong, Some More of God's Greatest Mistakes, and Who is This God Person Anyway? He read those a long time ago, and Hermione would probably read those over and over again.

Harry continued tackling his pile of presents. From Hermione came a large box of Chocolate Frogs, and there was only one present left. After Harry opened it, Draco's mouth dropped. Draco went red. Why? Because, now everything about Potter suddenly made sense. That was how Potter threw mud at him in third year. That was how the Weasel punch him in the face in the final battle. That was how Potter didn't get caught walking through the halls late at night. It made perfect sense. Potter had an invisibility cloak. Draco wanted to talk to the person who thought it would be a good idea to give the Suicidal One an invisibility cloak. (A/N: I know. Draco threw Harry's invisibility cloak over him after kicking him in the face in the original time line. I have decided to change the events to where that never happened in the original time line.)

"What is it Draco?"

"I know what that is. It's an invisibility cloak. Very rare, and very valuable. Very stupid thing to give somebody like you."

Then, Draco noticed the note. He looked at it, and suddenly the mystery was solved. It was given to him by Professor Dumbledore. The note read, "Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A Merry Christmas to you."

Harry had a very strange look on his face. Draco was wondering if this really belonged to Harry's father. Draco hurried and opened his gifts, which were: from Hagrid, some rock cakes, from Harry, a book on Quidditch, from Hermione, a book on Divination. Draco would have to inform her that he was not a seer. The last present was from Dumbledore. When Draco opened it, his jaw dropped. It was a pensieve. That was the perfect tool for a time traveler. Draco could not count how many times he wished he'd had one of these, but sadly they were extremely rare and weren't generally given to eleven year olds. Harry looked at it extremely confused.

"What's that?" He asked.

"This is a pensieve. It can store memories, so they can be viewed from the third person. Thus, I can see what I failed to catch previously. I'd been wanting one of these for ages. I don't know how Dumbledore knew though."

Before Draco could use it, the Weasley Twins entered. They had on sweaters that had an F and a G on them.

"Let me guess, you are wearing the wrong sweaters."

"Maybe," said Fred.

"Our mother knitted our initials onto our sweaters so we wouldn't forget our names."

"We're not stupid though."

"We know we're called Gred and Forge."

Then, Weatherby walked in. Weatherby obviously was in the middle of opening his presents as he, like the twins, carried a small lumpy sweater.

"What's all this racket?" asked Weatherby.

"It's a little thing called Christmas." Draco said.

At that moment, Fred seized the sweater.

"Put it on. We're wearing ours."

"You mean you're wearing each other's."

Then, Fred started forcing the sweater over Weatherby's head, and demanded that he sit with them. They marched Weatherby out of the room.

Christmas dinner was a hit as usual. The staff was merry, the students were merry, and Draco relished in it all. He, was only half-hearted in his merriness, because he knew more than anybody else that this would be one of the last merry moments in Hogwarts. Even so, even without his parents, it was the best Christmas Draco'd had in a long time.

After Christmas dinner, everybody else was too full to do anything but lounge around and watch Weatherby chase the Twins around the tower because they nicked his Prefect badge. It was enjoyable to watch. Especially when Draco confunded Weatherby, forcing him to scream at the top of his lungs, "I'm an Oscar Meyer Weiner!" Everybody laughed, except Weatherby, who docked 5 points off Gryffindor. Draco really didn't care. Even so, Draco couldn't wait until everybody went to bed, so he'd be able to use his pensieve without interruption. He needed to review the memory of the encounter with the Weasleys before second year. He wanted to memorize every detail of that memory, so he could make a plan.

After everybody had gone to bed, Draco filled the pensieve with water, and pulled a memory out of his head. He placed the memory in the pensieve, and dunked his head in the pensieve.

There he was. It was outside a bookstore, at 2:00. Gilderoy Lockhart's book signing was going on that day. It was August 6th. He watched Lucius pick up one of the books. Then he watched Lucius stealthily place two books in. Then he watched the scuffle, which should have tipped him off the first time. The book signing was Magical Me. Draco intended to watch this again and again. Then, form a plan which would result in the diary ending up in Draco's possession. If Draco was lucky, they'd be able to skip the Chamber of Secrets.

Then, he pulled himself out of the pensieve. He realized that Harry was gone. Probably went to the restricted section under his invisibility cloak. Draco went to bed, knowing that he'd never find Harry, even if he went looking. He slipped into sleep, and once again, his dreams were of the final battle. Of the Dark Wanker's forces invading Hogwarts. Of Crabbe dying. Of him crying to the Death Munchers that he was on their side. Of him falling to the ground after being punched in the face. Of a green light hitting him when he got off the ground. Then, he awakened. He hated sleeping. He took a dreamless potion, and went back to sleep. Moments later, Harry shook him awake.

When Draco woke up, he saw Harry asleep. Draco woke him up, he wanted to know if Harry had found Flamel, because if Harry had, then Draco could stop looking. Then, they went to breakfast. At breakfast, Harry told Draco all about his adventure the night before, how he went to the restricted section, but in order to avoid capture, Harry had to leave a bit early, so Harry ran out, and found himself in front of a mirror that showed him his dead family. All of the Potters. It was a good story, but it made Draco feel uneasy. Draco heard of several artifacts that had that effect. However, with Harry's luck, it wouldn't be the Mirror of Ghosts, or the Mirror of Good Intentions. It would be the most dangerous one of the bunch. The Mirror of Erised. However, Draco wanted to see this mirror to confirm his theory. So, Draco played the part.

"You could have woken me up, you know!" Draco said. He was slightly irritated. Trust Harry to run into the most dangerous Magical Artifact in the world during a quick trip to the library. However, he'd leave that assessment for later.

"You can come tonight. I'm going back, and I want to show you the mirror."

That was exactly what Draco wanted. To examine the mirror.

"Good, I want to see your parents, and I want to examine that mirror. I've heard of several artifacts that could show you the dead, and I want to find out which one it is."

"I want to see your family too."

"No you don't. It would be difficult to find a darker family than mine. Every single one of them wishes that the Dark Wanker killed you on your first birthday."

"Ouch."

"You said it."

"You should probably eat something," Draco said. Great, lack of appetite, a sign that it was the Mirror of Erised. But, Draco wouldn't make any conclusions until he saw the mirror first hand. He wanted to make sure.

It took forever for Harry to take Draco to the Mirror. The second Draco saw the mirror, his heart sank. It was the Mirror of Erised. He would recognize that inscription anywhere. Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Or, when looked at with a mirror, I show not your face, but your hearts desire. Draco had half a mind to pull Harry away from it now, but Draco had to admit, he was curious about what it would show him. Harry stood across from it.

"See?" Harry asked.

"I don't see anything." Draco replied.

"Look at them all... there are loads and loads of them."

"I can only see you."

"Look at it properly, go on, stand where I am."

It was the moment of truth. Draco stood across from the mirror, and saw, himself. Exactly as he was. Draco guessed that he had what he truly desired at the moment. He guessed that if he saw it when Hormones kicked in, it would be a different story. But, he was friends with Harry, the Dark Wanker hadn't resurrected yet. He didn't really want anything else at the moment. He didn't lust over money or power. He didn't truly care about influence, the house cup, or even the Quidditch cup. His body was too young to want women, and he didn't care about his looks. All the dead he'd missed in the previous time line were alive in this time line. Hell, he was building a future he could live in, but right now, he didn't care about it. He just had presence of mind to know he would care about it one day. He was truly content with who he was and what he had. Thus, the Mirror of Erised reflected that.

"Do you see them?"

"That's not how this works Harry."

"What?"

"I don't have any ghosts."

"Oh."

With that, he dragged Harry away from the Mirror. Harry went back to the Mirror the next day. Draco was starting to believe that Harry would be yet another victim of the Mirror of Erised. Then, Harry simply stopped going to the mirror.. Draco was willing to bet that Dumbledore had something to do with it. Draco was just relieved that Harry had stopped going there, because Harry had work to do.


	12. Harry Discovers Flamel

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Sorry, but that's the honest to goodness truth.

A/N:

Chapter 12: Harry Discovers Flamel, and Draco Wishes Harry Hadn't

The invisibility cloak stayed folded in Harry's trunk. Harry stayed in his dorm room. Draco was nervous that Harry was having nightmares about the night his parents died. On one hand, it could be the connection between Harry and the Dark Wanker, on the other, it could be that the Mirror had turned Harry mad. For the first time, Draco hoped it was the former.

Hermione came back the day before the term, and she was torn between horror of Harry having been out after hours three nights in a row, and disappointment at not having at least found Flamel. Draco, still didn't care. Thankfully, Harry and Hermione seemed to have given up hope of finding Flamel in a library book, though Harry was still certain he'd read the name somewhere. When the term started, Hermione and Draco were back to skimming books for ten minutes during breaks. Harry had less time, as Wood was driving his team harder than ever. Then, one day, Harry came back to the common room from Quidditch practice with news that, frankly, relieved Draco and alarmed Hermione.

"Snape's refereeing! It's not fair, not only is he going to kill me, but he's going to dock points off Gryffindor every chance he gets."

"Don't play," Hermione said.

"I can't not play. Gryffindor doesn't have a reserve seeker. If I don't play, Gryffindor can't play at all."

"Besides, Professor Snape isn't going to kill Harry."

"How do you know that?"

"Because, it was Quirrell that was trying to kill Harry."

"Quirrell is harmless."

"You say that now, but when I reserve the right to say I told you so."

At that moment, Neville came toppling into the common room. His legs were stuck together, obviously as the result of Nott's Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny-hop all the way to Gryffindor tower, though Draco had no idea how Neville got through the portrait hole. Draco stood up, pointed his wand at Neville.

"Finite Incantem." Draco said. The counter curse to most annoying, but mostly harmless jinxes. Neville's legs sprang apart, and he got to his feet trembling.

"Let me guess, Nott jinxed you?" Draco said.

"Yeah, met him outside the library, he said he was looking for someone to practice on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

"I don't want any more trouble."

"Neville, you've got to stand up to him. He has lived his entire life getting everything he wants, and doing whatever he wants. He will do what he wants, and throw a temper tantrum when he doesn't get his way. Professor McGonagall isn't the answer though. No, what Neville wants is for this to end. I have a better idea. Tell Augusta about this incident. I shall write to his father about this. If it stops, good. If not, call for an honor duel at noon. I'll be your second."

"I'm not good at magic though."

"Rubbish. I trained from a young age to sense magic. You have a lot of power Neville. Your wand, did it choose you?"

"No, it was my father's wand."

"Who took you to get your supplies?"

"My grandmother."

"Shall be getting a Howler from Harry Potter. She knows that the Wand chooses the Wizard, not the other way around."

Then, Harry said something that Draco agreed with completely.

"You're worth twelve of Nott. The Hat chose you for Gryffindor. Where did it place Nott? Slytherin."

Then, Harry gave Neville the last Chocolate Frog. Neville gave a weak smile as he unwrapped the Chocolate Frog. Draco grinned. That would help with Neville's self esteem. Draco couldn't believe that he had overlooked that. After all, Longbottom had been a force to be reckoned with. Potter's loyal lieutenant. The one who took over Dumbledore's Army when Potter was on the run, doing who knows what.

"Thanks Harry... I think I'll go to bed... D'you want the card, you collect them don't you?

As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the card.

"Dumbledore again," Harry said. "He was the first one I ever-"

Harry gasped, and Draco knew that Harry had done what Draco hoped he wouldn't do. He found Flamel.

"I found him!" Harry whispered. "I found Flamel! I told you I'd read his name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here-listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Damn it. Then, Hermione jumped to her feet, and Draco knew that Hermione was going to tell them about the Philosopher's Stone. She hadn't looked this excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.

"Stay there!" she said, and she ran up the stairs to the girls dormitory. Before Harry could ask Draco what was going on, Hermione ran back with a gigantic book. By gods, that was the largest book in the library.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

Then, Hermione started flicking through pages excitedly, muttering to herself. Finally, she found what she was looking for.

"I knew it, I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone."

This didn't have the effect she wanted. Harry looked confused, and Draco looked unimpressed.

"The what?" Harry asked. Then he noticed that Draco didn't ask that question, nor did Draco look surprised. Hermione looked at him questioningly. Then, she pushed the book towards Harry and Draco, where Harry read:

The Ancient Study of Alchemy is concerned with the making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.

There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight.)

"See?" Hermione said, when Harry had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew that someone was after it, and that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts."

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from dying!" Harry exclaimed. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anybody would want it!"

"I don't. Neither does Professor Snape," Draco said.

"What?" Harry said.

"Professor Snape doesn't care about money, in fact he turned down a small fortune a couple years ago. Also, Professor Snape doesn't isn't afraid of death, in fact, when Death comes to visit, Professor Snape will greet him like an old friend."

"So you think Snape wants to die?"

"Yes, but he's too brave to do end his life."

"What do you know about Snape that I don't?"

"Everything. I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone. Quirrell however, Quirrell is a fine suspect, he's greedy. He's ambitious. He's afraid of death. He has means, he has motive, he has opportunity. He's the one who is going to steal the Philosopher's Stone. And I won't lose any sleep over it. Good night."

Draco went to the dormitory, took a dreamless potion, and his last thoughts before hitting the sack were, 'That was a close one.'

The next day, at Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry asked Draco what he'd do with a Philosopher's Stone. Draco replied that he'd buy the Chelsea Falcons. Realistically, that's probably what he'd do, as Draco had big plans for the Falcons. Thinking of which, he should probably get in touch with the owner. Then, Harry revealed that he was going to play. Draco, again wasn't worried, but Hermione was, and Harry was getting increasingly nervous. Draco already knew how it was going to go down. Dumbledore would show up, thus nothing would happen, but a quick squabble, that would be small. Gryffindor would overtake Slytherin in the house championship. Game would be over in five minutes. Just like last time.

Hermione insisted that they practice the leg-locker curse on each other. Draco went along with it, even though he knew the curse like the back of his hand. It might come in handy one day, though Draco didn't enjoy seeing Hermione hopping around like a rabbit. Hermione also insisted they bring their wands to the match, Draco agreed because it couldn't hurt should Dumbledore decide not to watch Quidditch. However, Dumbledore decided to watch some Quidditch. Thus, there was nothing of value to watch. The game was over in five minutes, and Neville gave Nott a black eye.

Apparently, instead of celebrate a Gryffindor win, like everyone else was, Harry decided to follow Snape, who went into the Forbidden Forest. Where he heard what sounded like Snape threatening Quirrell if he found out how the Philosopher's Stone was guarded. Draco figured that Snape was trying to find out how close Quirrell was to stealing the Stone. Draco didn't know what the challenges were, but last time around, three first years got past them, and one was the Weasel, so they couldn't be that bad. When he was in the chamber, Draco had every intention of being in control. Voldie would not rise yet.


	13. Draco Malfoy and the Dragon

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I don't own Nico di Angelo. Sorry about that. I might end up quoting directly from the book, but I don't intend to.

A/N: Cookies to the ones who spot the two Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference. It's subtle, but it's there.

Chapter 13: Draco Malfoy and the Dragon

Draco was amused that Quirrellmort seemed to be paler and thinner than usual over the next few weeks. It was a sure sign that Quirrellmort hadn't found out how to get past Fluffy. Between Sev constant monitoring and Voldemort's constant nagging, Draco did not envy Quirrell's situation.

Every time Harry, Draco, and Hermione passed the third floor corridor, they'd press their ears against the door to make sure that Fluffy was still growling up a storm. Harry had started to give smiles to the enemy, as he was absolutely convinced that Sev was trying to steal the Stone. Draco insisted on making Quirrell's life more difficult. He enlisted Gred and Forge for this one. They hexed snowballs to pelt his turban, they charmed his food to run away from him. They replaced his defensive theory books with the Celestial Home Care Omnibus. They'd put a Niffler in his office.

Hermione, however, had more in mind that the Stone, or tormenting/encouraging Quirrellmort. She drew up study schedules, and color coded her notes. Draco didn't mind, as doing the same took time off his hands, even though he was more prepared for this exam than Hermione was. Actually, he started studying because people noticed that Draco didn't study, yet still achieved perfect scores. After all, he needed to at least pretend to be serious about this, after all, you needed to pass this exam if you were going to make it to second year. Why Hogwarts didn't do this for second year or third year, Draco had no idea. Draco also knew that the exams are easy, as Crabbe and Goyle both made it to second year.

However, as you needed these exams to get into second year, the teachers were assigning so much homework, that the Easter holidays were only fun for Draco, as Draco finished his homework quickly. However, Spring fever seemed to strike Harry. It was all Draco could do to keep Harry in the library with Hermione. That was were they met Hagrid again.

"What are you doing in the library Hagrid?" Draco asked.

"Jus' lookin'," Hagrid said, in a shifty voice. Great, now Harry was going to try to find out what Hagrid was up to. Which means that Draco was going to have to find out what Hagrid was up to. Which meant precious time spent in detentions. Now that Draco thought about it, this was around the time that Hagrid got that bloody dragon. "An' what are you up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Harry found him ages ago." Draco said dismissively. Draco really didn't care about the Stone, except in making sure that Quirrellmort didn't get his greasy hands on it. "We know about the stone. I have no interest in it, but Harry has some batty idea that Professor Snape is trying to steal it."

"Draco has some idea that Snape is innocent and Quirrell is trying to steal it. Which reminds me, there are a few things we wanted to ask you, about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy."

"SHHHH!" said Hagrid. "Listen come an' see me later, I'm not promising I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"

"See you later, then," said Harry.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" Hermione asked.

Probably something regarding dragons.

"I'll go see what section he was in." Draco said. He wanted to confirm his hunch about Dragons. Draco walked to the section Hagrid was in, and his heart sank, as what he knew to be true was confirmed. He picked up the books on dragons, and carried them to the others. They'd want to see this, and Draco had a funny feeling that this was a fixed point. Thus, Draco had to stick to the established events, even if he didn't know very much about the established events.

"Dragons," Draco whispered to Harry and Hermione. He showed them the books Hagrid was reading. "Hagrid was researching Dragon breeding."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him."

"It's against the law. Too hard to hide from Muggles when you have dragons in your back yard. Plus, dragons are too difficult and dangerous to tame. You'd have to be Merlin to do it."

"So what on earth is Hagrid up to?"

"I have a hunch, just pray I'm wrong."

When they knocked on the door of Hagrid's hut an hour later, they noticed that the curtains were closed. Draco once again suspected that Hagrid once again had the dragon.

"Who is it?" shouted Hagrid.

When they identified themselves, Hagrid let them in, and quickly closed the door behind him. It was stifling hot inside the hut, which further aided the Hagrid has a dragon theory. Hagrid made them tea and stoat sandwiches, which they refused.

"So, yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?" Hagrid asked.

Before Harry could ask the dumb question, Draco used his Slytherin cunning, and asked something that might work.

"You have influence, and Dumbledore trusts you. I'm sure you know everything that goes on around here. All we want to know is who's guarding the stone. We wondered who Dumbledore trusted enough to guard it, other than you that is."

"I suppose it couldn't do much harm to tell yeh that. Let's see, he borrowed Fluffy from me, then some teachers did enchantments. Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, Professor Quirrell, Professor Dumbledore did something of course, Hang on, I'm forgetting someone. Oh, yeah, Professor Snape." Hagrid said.

So, some sort of lethal plant with a limited time to defeat it, a charm, some clever transfiguration, something that Quirrell could easily beat, Dumbledore's insurance policy, and some potions. That was probably the logic puzzle. McGonagall was probably chess or something. Logic under pressure and well played chess. Something to do with lovie dovie bullshit. Draco didn't know the order, or what the others were, and Dumbledore's was an even bigger mystery.

"Snape?" Harry asked stunned. Yep, Harry was still on the Snape thing. Draco would enjoy telling Harry I told you so. He could tell that Harry suspected that Snape was in a position to easily gain access to all the challenges. Draco knew that it was Quirrell, not Snape that was in the profitable position. Then, Harry saw the dragon egg.

"Hagrid, what's that?" Harry asked, though by his tone, Draco could easily tell that Harry knew exactly what it was.

"Ah, that's er..." said Hagrid, much like a young boy who got his hand caught in the cookie jar.

"I think what Harry means is, where the hell did you get it? They aren't cheap, nor widely sold."

"Won it, las' night. I was down in the village having a few drinks an' got into a game of cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad to get rid of it, ter be honest." said Hagrid.

"What are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.

Draco thought that was a good question. Then again, this was the man who thought it was a good idea to create Blast-Ended Skewts. Hagrid wasn't a man of great intellect or caution.

"Well, I've bin doin' some readin'," said Hagrid as he pulled a book out from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library-Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit-it's outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breath on 'em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here-how ter recognize different eggs. What I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

Hagrid looked thrilled, but Draco and Hermione were less than. Then, Hermione pointed out the big flaw in Hagrid's scheme.

"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.

Unfortunately, Hagrid wasn't listening as he was humming while stroking the fire.

Now they had something else to worry about. What would happen if Hagrid were caught with a dragon. And in Draco's case, what if Charlie Weasley didn't take to well being contacted by a Malfoy. That night, when Draco started writing to Charlie Weasley, Nico di Angelo appeared out of nowhere.

"Another progress report?"

"You've been doing quite well this time around. However, I'm here to inform you of two things, one, Harry and Hermione must be in the forbidden forest for detention, the night after you get rid of the dragon. Second, the first law of fanfiction declares that we cannot give you an advantage without giving Voldemort a similar advantage. So, as Harry was not resurrected, neither will Voldemort. However, there is a witch who died in the final battle. One who is very dangerous, and very unnerved. She is very insane, and one of my coworkers decided that she is the one who should be sent back. However, to keep her from inflicting too much damage to the time line, I've managed to stall her return for another two years."

"Who is it?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange."

"So one of your coworkers decided to send Bellatrix Lestrange back in time?"

"Yes."

"Who's brilliant idea was that?"

"Genghis Khan, a horrible, bloodthirsty man. Luckily for you, she doesn't have progress reports, or a devoted case manager. Do good, because if you die, I'll make sure you spend your afterlife shagging Dolores Umbitch and Pansy Parkinson's Disease."

"I'll survive."

"Good. Now, I'd finish that letter to Charlie Weasley if I were you. He could be a useful contact later on, doesn't have to be, but he could. After all, he has contact with several influential wizards in Romania. I'm sure your Slytherin cunning can find a way to use this, despite your Gryffindor courage. See yah, and don't die."

With that Nico disappeared again.

"I seem to be having tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle," Draco muttered to himself, half joking. Draco finished the letter, then he went to sleep. Draco slept and waited, for this he had to wait for the right moment.

A few days later, Hedwig came flying in, and gave Harry a note from Hagrid. It only had two words on it, It's Hatching.

"We should skip Herbology, and go straight to Hagrid's." Draco suggested. He didn't care about Herbology, he already knew all the material. Last time around he only saw the dragon, but not the hatching.

"Not happening, we can't afford to miss anything."

"You already know all the material. I already know all the material."

Then, Draco noticed Nott, and said the line he knew he needed to say.

"You can go to Herbology any old time, how often are we going to see a dragon hatching?"

"We've got lessons, we'll get in trouble, and thats nothing compared to how much trouble Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing-"

Then, Harry cut her off, as he noticed that Nott was listening very closely to their conversation. Perfect, everything was going according to plan. Draco and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during the morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried to Hagrid's hut, where Hagrid greeted them looking flushed and excited.

"It's nearly out," Hagrid said.

The egg was on the table, cracks all over it. It was shaking, and a clicking noise came from inside it. They all drew their chairs, and watched with interest. All at once, there was a scraping noise, and the dragon came out of the egg. It's wings were quite large compared to it's skinny body. The dragon was born. After some pointless talk in which Hagrid named the dragon Norbert, Draco turned his head, and looked directly at Theodore Nott. Nott had seen the dragon. The game was on.

Nearly all their free time that day was devoted to getting trying to convince Hagrid to get rid of Norbert. And nearly all their free time the next two days as well. In fact, it took an entire week to convince Hagrid that the dragon had to go. Draco revealed that he had a contact in Romania who studied Dragons. Draco would write to his contact and ask him to take a dragon off Hagrid's hands. In the end, Hagrid had no choice but to agree. Another week later, and Charlie Weasley sent Draco a reply to said letter. Draco was glad that he'd been bitten. In the previous time line, he'd found out about the moving date for the dragon because Ronald Weasley had been bitten by said dragon. Draco had taken a book. In that book was a letter from Charlie Weasley. The letter was rather similar to the one they just received. The three of them read the letter.

Draco,

Thanks for the letter. After learning about the situation Hagrid's found himself in, and reviewing your letter, I've decided that I'll be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback off your hands. Your plan is good, but in need of slight adjustment. I have some friends who are going to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon.

Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's dark.

Send me an answer as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Charlie Weasley

"Your contact in Romania is Charlie Weasley?" asked Harry.

"Yes. As soon as I found out that Hagrid had a dragon, I started writing to Charlie Weasley. I needed him to be on friendly basis with me, so he might help us remove the dragon. Also, Charlie has contact with several influential members of the Romanian Ministry." Draco replied.

"We've got an invisibility cloak. It shouldn't be too difficult. It should be big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."

"But which two of us?" asked Hermione.

"I'll go. It would look less suspicious if it were Harry and I, and you really don't need detention should we get caught." Draco volunteered.

Then, Draco wrote Charlie a reply. It simply stated, Adjustment accepted. Then, he sent the owl flying.

So, by the next day, Draco's hand had swollen twice it's size, which meant that Draco would be unable to be Harry's escort. Also, because it was swollen, he had to go to Madam Pomfrey. He gave a convincing lie, that would require the same antidote, sadly that antidote would finish healing his hand on Sunday. Thus, it had to be Harry and Hermione. Nott took the book with the letter, like Draco had been counting on. And then, he went to sleep. When he woke up, Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Nott had detention for being out of bed after class. And apparently, Harry and Hermione left the invisiblity cloak at the astronomy tower. Draco would have to take care of that personally.


	14. Collecting the Cloak

Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me. It still sadly belongs to me, as JK refuses to sign over ownership to me.

A/N:

Chapter 14: Collecting the Cloak and other Fun Errands.

One hundred and fifty points lower than yesterday. One hundred and fifty points. McGonagall didn't do things half way. At first the other Gryffindor's disbelieved it. They believed it must be a mistake. Then, word spread that Harry Potter and two other first years were the cause of the mass deficiency.

This was a nightmare for Harry. He went from being one of the most admired people in the school, to one of the most hated. Just like Draco predicted, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw turned against them. The Slytherins, however, clapped when Harry past, saying things like "We owe you one."

"This is why House Points are stupid. They encourage House Rivalry. They lead to bullying, and eventually Dark Lords. If a House wins the cup too often in a row, then the rest of Hogwarts longs to see them lose. So if a student suddenly loses a lot of points, even if they lost them doing the right thing, then the entire school turns against them," Draco said.

Only Draco stuck by Harry and Hermione. Though he had to work with Daphne Greengrass in potions.

"Don't worry, they'll forget all about this in a few weeks. Your father lost points all the time. In fact, he holds the record for the most points lost in one day. Yet, he was consistently the most popular student in the school, and eventually, somehow, Head Boy. Don't worry about it. People are fickle."

Draco was relieved that exams weren't far away, as the time that Harry and Hermione spent studying was enough to keep their minds off the one hundred and fifty points they lost. They tried to memorize simple potions. They got lost in charm work. They fell asleep trying to memorize important dates and names for History of Magic. They tried to distinguish plants, and how to care for them, and if necessary, kill them.

Harry seemed determined not to meddle or pry. No more sneaking and spying. No more heroics. However, this resolution was soon put to the test. As, Harry heard Quirrell saying something like, "No not again please!" and "Alright, fine." Harry leapt to the conclusion that Quirrell gave in, and told Snape how to get past his defenses. Draco assumed that The Dark Wanker took over Quirrell once more. He met Draco in the library, and told them what he just heard.

"Interesting. So Quirrell is going to make his play."

"That's not what I said. I said that Snape knows how to get past Quirrell's defenses."

"Did you see Professor Snape?"

"No."

"Did you hear Professor Snape?"

"No."

"Then, how do you know it's him?"

"Because Snape wants the stone!"

"Like I told you before, Snape has no desire for the Stone. Even so, I'll tell Dumbledore what you told me. He'd take it more seriously coming from me."

"We've got no proof Draco! Everybody knows I hate Snape. Quirrell's too scared to back us up."

"Who said anything about Snape. I'll tell him what I know, and I'll give him both of our theories, along with our evidence."

"We're not even supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone or Fluffy! That would take a lot of explaining."

"You're forgetting, I was raised to be Slytherin. I know how to be cunning, and I know how to tell a good lie."

With that, Harry and Hermione looked convinced. Draco just wished that he hadn't lied to them. He'd tell Dumbledore a lot of things. This was not one of them.

The following morning, Harry, Hermione, and Neville were given notes at breakfast. It told them their detentions would be at eleven o'clock. They were to meet Filch at the entrance hall. Brilliant. The Forbidden Forest, where Harry would encounter whatever was killing unicorns.

At eleven o'clock, Harry and Hermione said good-bye to Draco. They walked out, and Draco waited a moment, and went outside the common room. He cast a disillusionment charm on himself. He didn't need an invisibility cloak to be invisible. Then, he walked to the tallest astronomy tower, and reclaimed the cloak. He put the cloak on, as an extra assurance, after all, he had a few errands to do. Like, making sure that Dumbledore erected the wards he needed, to ensure that Harry would definitely win this battle. Draco also needed to go to the Room of Hidden Things to pick something up. The fate of the world depended on everything going exactly as Draco planned for it to go. In other words, the world was probably doomed.

He decided to start with Dumbledore. He needed to make sure that Dumbledore left the castle when he needed Dumbledore to leave the castle. Dumbledore, who already knew that Draco was a time traveler, thus knew more than Dumbledore in matters like this, agreed. Dumbledore also informed Draco that the traps were in place. Perfect. Quirrellmort would have no idea what was in store for him.

Then, Draco went to the Room of Hidden Things. He went inside, and eventually, found a box. He opened the box, closed it, and took it with him. Draco felt a little guilty for what he was planning, but he had no choice. Quirrellmort could not be allowed to leave Hogwarts with the Philosopher's Stone. Draco's plan provided the best hope for the world. He just wished he knew how the Stone was defended, and what order the defenses appeared in. Then, he could cut his time in half. But alas, there was no way to find that out, as Dumbledore gave an unbreakable oath that he wouldn't tell anyone how to get to the Stone.

After claiming his prize, and Harry's cloak, Draco took a dreamless potion and went to sleep, content with what he accomplished.

 _A/N: Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. I needed to end it here as to not give away other big plot developments._


	15. Three Simple Challenges

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

A/N:

Chapter 15: Three Simple Challenges a couple First Years Could Get Through

The next day, Harry told Draco and Hermione what he encountered in the forest. It was the Dark Wanker. This is an exact record of the conversation that followed.

"Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... all this time we thought he wanted it because he wanted to get rich..."

"It's not Professor Snape, Harry! It's Quirrell. I keep telling you, it's Quirrell."

But Harry wasn't listening to Draco.

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about what the planets say is going to happen... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... probably written in the stars as well. So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone, then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... Well, I suppose Bane will be happy."

"For the hundredth time, it's Quirrell that's trying to steal the Stone!"

"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right. Professor McGonagall says that fortune telling is a very imprecise branch of magic."

Draco however, was not amused, because he knew how prophecy worked. He knew that there was a prophecy in the Department of Mystery. He didn't know what it said, but to hazard a guess, it probably said, either Harry kills the Dark Wanker or the Dark Wanker kills Harry. Then, Draco handed Harry his invisibility cloak.

"How the hell did you get it?"

"I went to the Astronomy tower at midnight. I had a funny feeling we might need it soon."

Draco was amazed that he was able to focus on exams, not that he needed to focus on them. He went through them with a breeze, as everything was easy for him. The written essays were easy, despite the new quills which were upgraded with Anti-Cheating Charms. The practical exams were also a breeze.

In Charms, you had to make a pineapple tap-dance across the desk. In transfiguration, you had to turn a mouse into a snuffbox. Extra points for a really pretty snuffbox. Lost points if it still had whiskers. Sev had them brew a Forgetfulness Potion. Draco brewed his perfectly, and saved some of his. He made sure to save all of his potions, as he never knew when it might come in handy.

Draco was also alarmed to see that Harry was having nightmares every day. Of course, Draco was alike in this. After all, this close to seeing the Dark Wanker, his nightmares were soon overpowering his Dreamless Potion. It was always the same nightmare, the final battle. The mass slaughter. His death. However, these nightmares only served to strengthen his resolve to stop Quirrellmort today.

The last exam was in History of Magic, and like the others, Draco was certain that he had the second highest scores in them. He had no faith in his ability to defeat someone with a photographic memory.

Then, it occurred. Harry's hand clutched his scar.

"I wish I knew what it means! My scar keeps hurting! It's happened before, but never as often as this." Harry raged.

"You should go to Madam Pomfrey." said sensible Hermione.

"I'm not ill. I think it's a warning. It means danger is near."

"Harry, Hermione's right. Neville would play Quidditch for England before Hagrid betrays Dumbledore."

"The dragon."

"Yes, we got rid of it."

"No! The dragon. I just thought of something."

"What?"

"We've got to see Hagrid now!"

Then, Harry went to see Hagrid. Then, Draco realized how stupid he'd been. Luckily, Dumbledore had been here till now. That reminded Draco, he had to make sure that Dumbledore left today. Everything depended on it being today.

"What did you just think of?" asked Hermione.

"I think I know. It's the dragon isn't it? You wondered how many people go around with dragons under their cloaks," said Draco.

"Exactly. I mean isn't it strange that the one thing in the world that Hagrid wants is a dragon, and then this stranger comes along with a dragon egg under his cloak? Dragons are against the law. Lucky they found Hagrid isn't it? Why didn't I see it before?"

Then, they found themselves in front of Hagrid's Hut. They knocked the door, and Hagrid let them in.

"Hullo," Hagrid said smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time for a drink?"

"Actually we're in a hurry. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger look like?"

"I don't know, he wouldn't take his hood off."

That made sense to Draco, but the others looked at him as if he were nuts.

"It's not that unusual. Yeh get unusual folk at Hogs Head, that's the pub at the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face. Kept his hood up."

"Do you remember anything you spoke about?"

"Yeah, he wanted to make sure I was able to raise a dragon. So I told him after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy."

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?"

"Well-yeah-how many three headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how calm him down, jus' play him a little music, and he'll go straight ter sleep. I shouldn't have told yeh that."

"Us? You shouldn't have told him that." Draco said.

They left in a hurry. Quirrell knew how to get to the Stone. He'd wait for Dumbledore to leave, and sneak in and steal it.

"We have to tell Professor Dumbledore." said Harry. "It was either Voldemort or Snape under that hood."

"It was Quirrell! Snape is innocent."

"You didn't hear him threatening Quirrell."

"Threatening or interrogating?"

"I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

Draco had no intention of telling them, because the Weasel didn't know where Dumbledore's office was, and it might lead to tricky questions about how he knew.

"What are you three doing inside?"

"We have to see Professor Dumbledore!" said Hermione.

"Why?"

"It's about the Philosopher's Stone! Someone's getting ready to steal it. He knows all the defenses, and how to get past them. I guarantee you, it'll be gone tomorrow if he isn't stopped."

"Do you have a name?"

"None that you'd believe."

"The Stone is too well defended. No one can possibly steal it."

"You know what my family says about arrogance?"

"What?"

"Arrogance leads to mistakes."

"I'm afraid that Professor Dumbledore had to go to the Ministry of Magic. Something urgent. He'll be back tomorrow."

Harry lead Hermione and Draco away.

"It's tonight. No adults believe us. We have to stop Quirrell from stealing the Stone."

"I think you mean Snape."

"No I mean Quirrell. We go through the trap door tonight. It's the only chance to stop the Dark Wanker from returning. We get the stone first."

"Draco we'll get in so much trouble."

"It doesn't matter. You read so much, but you don't have a clue what it was like when the Dark Wanker was around. There were mass slaughters. It was hell on earth. You had no clue who your friends were or your enemies. You didn't know if the person about to attack you was doing it willingly, or if he was under the imperious curse. It was Hell on Earth. If the Dark Wanker returns, that is what waits for us. The end of the World. We have to stop it."

"Besides, he killed my parents. He tried to kill me. I agree, we go through the trap door, and we stop Voldemort from returning." said Harry.

"You're right. Both of you. I'll look through my books, there might be something useful in there."

"I'll prepare as well. We don't know what lies between us and the Stone, but we have to get through them, and we have to do it quickly and without hesitation." said Draco.

After dinner, they looked through their notes, prepared as well as they could. Draco looked through his pensieve, to see if any memories from the previous time line would be of any help. Unfortunately, they weren't. They were ignored, but this was the first time that they weren't upset by it. They had much work to do. They thought about what they would have to do. Slowly the people all drifted to bed.

"Better get the cloak Harry."

Harry pocketed the flute, so they could get past Fluffy. Then got the cloak. They went back down.

"We better put the cloak on now. And make sure it covers all of us. After all, if Filch sees our feet, game over. We lose. The Dark Wanker returns."

"What do you think you're doing?" a voice sounded. One of the chairs spun around, and Neville showed his presence. 10 points for standing up to your friends check.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing." said Harry putting the cloak behind his back.

"You're going out again," he said.

"No, no, no," Hermione said. "No we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville."

They were wasting time. Time they could not afford to waste. Draco hoped that Dumbledore's protection was so brilliant that it would hold Quirrell back a bit, because otherwise, the Dark Wanker would rise tonight, and that mean that he made things worse than last time around, and that the Weasel did a better job than he did. That could not stand.

"You can't go out," said Neville. "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"This is important. We can't afford to waste time. Go to bed Neville."

"I won't let you do this, I'll fight you."

"Damn. I was afraid you'd say that." said Draco. "Sorry mate, you'll understand later. I promise. Petronius Totals."

With that, Neville froze and collapsed.

"What did you do to him?" Harry whispered.

"The Full Body Bind. It's the least harmful spell I could think of. He'll be out for a few hours. Let's go."

Draco, Harry, and Hermione stepped over Neville. They put on the cloak, and walked away. Then, they made their way to the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was there, in his annoyingness.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly. Draco had no idea what to do. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you a goalie or a ghostlier or a wee student beastie? Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

Then, Harry had a burst of brilliance.

"Peeve, the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible." Harry said in a hoarse whisper.

Then, Peeves nearly fell out of the air in shock.

"Sorry your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir," Peeves said. "My mistake, my mistake. I didn't see you. Of course I couldn't see you. You're invisible. Forgive old Peevish his little joke, sir."

"I have business here, Peeves," Harry croaked. "Stay away from this place tonight."

"I will, I most certainly will." Peeves said. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."

Then, Peeves left them be. It was a true stroke of genius, Draco was disappointed in himself for not thinking of it. A few seconds later, they were at the door to the third floor corridor. It was time to face the irritating turban. The door was slightly ajar, which meant that Quirrell certainly had a head start.

"Well, there you are, Snape's already got past Fluffy."

"Quirrell," Draco said as they entered the room. Harry put his mouth to the flute and started to play. It was a simple tune, but it was music none the less. The dog stayed asleep, as Draco moved the trapdoor open, and gestured towards Hermione to jump. She did, and Draco followed. Soon after that, Harry jumped after them. It was a long jump, interrupted by a plant of some sort. Sprout's obstacle. As soon as it started straggling them, he recognized it.

"Devil's Snare!" Draco shouted to them.

"How do we get past it?" Harry asked.

"Give me a moment. I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione said.

"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare. What was that old phrase?"

"Like's the cold and damp."

"Fire! That's how we kill it."

Then, Hermione used the spell for the bluebell flames. Then, they dropped a few feet. They were in a room with a bunch of keys and three broomsticks. At the other end of the hall was a door. It was a rather obvious challenge. Find the right key, ride the broom, catch it, and open the door. You didn't even need to use magic. Draco just needed to figure out what key it was. Draco went to the door, and examined the lock.

"If I'm right, you need to catch the right key and unlock the door."

"But there must be hundreds of keys."

"Which is why, I'm examining the door lock. It's old fashioned, big. Probably silver. There are three broomsticks. One for each of us."

Then, Harry and Draco both saw it.

"It's that one. The one with the crumpled wing."

Draco, Harry, and Hermione all grabbed a broom, and went to work on catching that key. Luckily, Draco and Harry were the two best seekers to enter Hogwarts, well, ever. The key was good, but it was no golden snitch. Which was lucky, because a Snitch can sometimes take days to catch, and they had about thirty minutes. Within a few moments, Harry caught the Snitch, and Draco shoved it into the door, and unlocked the door. They walked through, and the door shut.

"There's no turning back now," Draco said.

"Did you have to say that?" Harry asked.

"What?" Draco asked curiously.

"Have you watched any movie? Ever?" Harry asked. "No turning back now always results in shit."

"What's a movie?" Draco asked.

"Better question," Hermione asked. "Why is this room so large?"

"It's a chess set. We've got to play across the board. Don't be offended, by both of you suck at thinking ahead. And neither of you have any Slytherin cunning. I'll tell you what to do. It's the only chance we've got. Harry, you be the king. Hermione will be the Queen. I'll be the bishop."

Draco chose those two pieces because those were the pieces that were most obsessively protected. The chessmen seemed to be listening, because appropriate pieces moved off the board, and after, Draco showed Harry and Hermione that Queen goes on color, the game would begin. Draco needed to end this quickly. He needed to see if McGonagall thought of a certain combination that he knew about. The quickest possible victory for an opponent made no major mistakes. It was an honorless victory, but he had no need of honor. White moved pawn to h3. Draco moved pawn to e6. White, pawn to b3. Draco ordered Hermione to move to f6. White moved bishop to b2. Draco deliberately moved pawn to g6. White moved bishop to h8, taking Draco's rook. But that was okay. Draco now had White in an impossible situation. Draco moved pawn to f6. Which the White took, but, Draco immediately ordered his bishop to take the bishop. White tried to move Knight A3, but it was too late. Draco ordered Hermione to f2. Taking a pawn, and capturing the king. Checkmate. That wasn't too hard. They walked past the chessboard. Then, they opened the door to the next challenge, where they saw a passed out troll. Clearly Quirrell's challenge wasn't to difficult for Quirrell to beat. To be certain that it wouldn't wake up any time soon, Draco pointed his wand at it and said, "Sectumsempra." The troll was dead. They passed it.

"What's next?" asked Harry.

"Let's see, the Devil's Snare is Sprout's, the key's must be Flitwick. The chessboard must be McGonagall, and the troll must be Quirrell's. That leaves only Professor Snape's."

They walked into the room, and saw a line of potions and a piece of parchment. They walked foward a few paces, and they a fire sprang up behind them. That fire was purple. Then, black fire sprang up in front of them. Hermione opened it and read it out loud.

Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,

Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,

One among us seven will help you move ahead,

Another will transport the drinker back instead,

Two among our number hold only nettle wine,

Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.

Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,

To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four,

First, however slyly the poison tries to hide,

You will always find some on nettle wine's left side,

Second, different are those who stand at either end

But if you would move onward, neither is your friend,

Third, as you can clearly see, all are different size,

Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides,

Fourth the second left and the second on the right

Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.

Great, logic. Not his area of expertise. Quite clever of Uncle Severus.

"Brilliant! This isn't magic, it's logic. Most wizards don't have a shred of logic, thus this would be here forever." Hermione said.

"And we'll be here forever right?" asked Harry.

"No. Not us, because we have Hermione Granger. Thank god we got through chess so quickly."

"Give me a moment." Hermione said. She started reading the paper again and again. Looking at the bottles and back at the paper before clapping her hands. "Got it. It's that one." She pointed at the smallest bottle.

"And the way back?"

"That one" She pointed at a bottle at the end of the lane.

"You take that. Then, at least one of us will be able to warn Dumbledore that the Dark Wanker rises should we fail."

"There's only enough for one person."

"No, there's enough for two. We just have to be careful about it."

Draco divided it down the middle, and there was, in fact, enough of the potion for two people to drink. Draco drank his half, and Harry drank his half. Hermione drank her potion to get her past the purple flames.

After Hermione left, Draco turned towards Harry.

"Remember, the fate of the world rests on our shoulders."

"Great, no pressure."

It was time to face the Dark Wanker.


	16. Draco Malfoy and the Philosopher's Stone

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I barely even own this idea.

A/N:

Chapter 16: Draco Malfoy and the Philosopher's Stone

Draco and Harry passed through the black flames. Time to see if those traps worked, for somebody was already in the room. Harry looked stunned to see that Harry was right. It was Quirrell.

"You!" Harry shouted.

"Me." Quirrellmort said. "I wondered whether I'd be seeing you here, Potter. I am surprised, however, to see young Malfoy here."

"To be honest, so am I," said Draco. "I am so glad that I get to say this. I told you so Harry."

"But I thought Snape."

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed. Oh my god, this is the overdramatic villain who dies in the end. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-st-st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

"I did. You miscalculated."

"But Snape tried to kill me!"

"No, no, no! I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I would have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you."

"Snape was trying to save me?"

"I told you so Harry!"

"Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? To make sure I wouldn't do something like that again. Funny, he really needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought that Snape was trying to keep Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular... and what a waste, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."

Quirrell snapped his fingers, and nothing happened.

"What? Why isn't my magic working?"

"Did you really think that teachers were the only ones to provide protection to the Stone? Did you honestly think that I, with all my resources, didn't know that the Stone was here from the second it was placed in the castle? Or that I didn't take steps to ensure that should you try to steal it, it would be an even fight? Wandless magic and nonverbal magic doesn't work here."

Then, Draco cast the same spell that Quirrell tried to cast. Quirrell was all tied up.

"Huh. The wards I asked to be set have alerted me that you are being possessed by someone. Now let's see who's possessing the professor."

Draco took off the turban, and revealed, the Dark Wanker.

"Dark Wanker Moldy Shorts I presume? I'm willing to bet that you had Quirrell let the troll in as a distraction so you could make an attempt at the stone, but you were unprepared for Fluffy. However, you didn't count on two things, Snape already suspected Quirrell, and had gone to stop him, and two I killed the troll to save a Muggleborn. Now, let's see Dumbledore's final protection."

Then, Draco noticed, it was the Mirror of Erised.

"Dumbledore is clever. We needn't have gone here at all. You would have been stuck here forever Quirrellmort."

"I don't understand Draco." Harry said.

"Why don't you take a look at the Mirror of Erised. I'm willing to bet that you will." said Draco.

"But I saw Quirrell and Snape in the forest?"

"It's like I told you, Severus was interrogating Quirrell."

Then, Harry looked into the mirror. A few moments later, Harry felt his pocket.

"I knew it. Unfortunately, should you escape, you will try to take the Stone from Harry, and I can't have that."

Then, Draco pulled out a package. The package he got from the Room of Requirement. He opened it, and pulled out a dagger. He walked to Quirrell.

"Any last words?"

"Do you really think you have what it takes to take a life?"

Then, Voldemort spoke, "Draco Malfoy, think carefully. I will return. If you do this, you will be my enemy, whereas if you kill Potter, you will be rewarded."

With that Draco stabbed Quirrell through the chest.

"I have no interest in your rewards you Dark Wanker."

Then, Professor Quirrell was dead. Harry pulled the Stone out of his pocket. He stared at it, and Draco could tell, he was definitely tempted. Draco remembered something Harry'd said a while back.

"A stone that makes gold and stops you from dying, no wonder why Snape wants it, anyone would want it." That kind of power corrupts, and Harry must not corrupt.

"Now wish the Stone back into the Mirror Harry. You don't know what immortality costs." Draco said.

"But I could keep everyone alive."

"No. Everything has it's time and everything must die."

Harry seemed to consider his words, and then, Harry turned to the mirror, and the stone in Harry's pocket disappeared. Then, Draco realized that the wards in the room were taking too much power from him, he miscalculated. Suddenly, the room went black, and Draco collapsed to the ground.

The next thing Draco knew, he was laying in a hospital bed with Professor Dumbledore sitting over him.

"Hello Professor."

"Afternoon Draco."

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"Three days."

"Interesting. Magical exhaustion?

"Yes. Your wards were too powerful."

"They needed to be powerful, Voldemort is a powerful wizard, and I needed to restrict his magic use. So, what happened to the Stone after Harry put it in the mirror?"

"Well, Nicolas and I have agreed that it was probably best that the Philosopher's Stone be destroyed."

"It should never have been made in the first place. Nicolas will probably suffer in the Fields of Punishment for even thinking that creating it would be a good idea, let alone actually accomplishing it."

"I agree, the Stone is not such a wonderful thing. As much life and money as you want. The two things humans would choose above all others. Trouble is, we have a knack of choosing those things exactly worst for us."

"From what I heard, even you sought to gain immortality once."

"Oh, does my childhood become common knowledge?"

"Only after you die, and it's written by Rita Skeeter, so most don't believe it. Though she has a copy of a letter that you wrote to Grindelwald in that book."

"Oh."

"Oh is right. Don't worry, I can't really judge your past. I murdered several muggles in the previous time line and served the Dark Wanker, and you inspired Grindelwald to enslave the muggles. It's not the mistakes we make in youth that matter. It's whether or not you learn from those mistakes."

"There's something you should know, Bellatrix Lestrange from my time line is being sent to this one. Quite frankly, the idea scares me. Bellatrix Lestrange with foreknowledge. She'll be arriving in this time line in about two years. Experts agree that she escapes at the end of third year. She finds Voldemort in the summer of fourth year. Voldemort returns at the end of fourth year."

"Thank you for the information."

"I can't tell you anything more specific than that."

"I don't want anything more important than that. I learned from a young age that power is my temptation. I cannot be trusted with it, so it's best to stay away."

"Which is why you are the Chief Warlock of the Wizengambot, and the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards."

"As the Supreme Mugwump, my only real responsibility is keeping the peace between nations. I have little international power, and the position Chief Warlock is purely honorary. I get to advice the Lords of the Wizengambot, while I don't actually get to make any decisions myself. I am far better off as a teacher and a Headmaster."

"You aren't a bad teacher either."

Then, a few moments later, Harry and Hermione were sitting across from them.

"Tell me, who won the Quidditch cup?"

"Ravenclaw did. First time I ever lost the Snitch. The seeker was good. She kept on blocking my broom. Caught the Snitch right from out of my fingertips. Ravenclaw gained 25 points."

"Wood must have been pissed."

"He was. I think he's still crying in the bathrooms."

Then, Draco told them an edited version of the events, as Harry was confused on several aspects. He told them that he already knew about the Stone, and how he didn't tell them because Dumbledore made him promise not to. He told them that he set a trap for the thief, who he had fully suspected of being Quirrell. He told them that Voldemort's appearance surprised him. He enjoyed telling them I told you so. Oh how he relished it.

Harry informed Draco that there were rumors ranging from strange to feasible about what happened in the third floor corridor. Draco was just pleased that nobody knew the full truth except for himself and Albus Dumbledore.

Draco, Harry, and Hermione made his way to the end of the year feast. He noticed that there seemed to be an unnatural hush as everybody stared at them. Well, defeat a Dark Lord, and gain a lot of attention, Draco guessed. He just hoped it would end before the next term. It would make being nearly invisible almost completely impossible.

The hall was already decked with Slytherin colors, as Slytherin won the House Cup. At that moment, Draco made up his mind. He was going to be very unpopular with the other students for a while, but by the end of the summer, they'd move on. Then, Dumbledore stood up.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink out teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer to get them nice and empty before the next year starts..."

Draco could not afford to let that happen. He had to move with cunning and precision, because he did not want the Chamber of Secrets to open, for he knew even less about what Potter did in that year than he knew about this year. But he'd take care of that towards the end of the summer.

"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty six and Slytherin has four hundred and seventy-two. Well done Slytherin, however, recent events must be taken into account. Ahem, I have a few last minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes, First to Draco Malfoy for the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, and for doing what is right, even though he has been raised many years to do what is wrong, I award Gryffindor house fifty points. Second to Hermione Granger, for the cool use of logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points. Third, to Harry Potter for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points. There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but just as much to stand up to your friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Before the explosion that would inevitably rise, Draco stood up.

"WAIT! I cannot accept House Points for what I have done. It does not sit right with me. Remember how you turned your noses at Harry just a couple weeks ago for losing one hundred and fifty house points? Not ONE of you stood by him! NOT ONE OF YOU! How can you call yourselves Gryffindors if NOT ONE OF YOU WILL STAND BY YOUR OWN FRIENDS? And it was because of the house points system. They only exist to cause bitter House Rivalries and rising Dark Lords. I will have no part of it, which is why, I will not accept a single point for Gryffindor house by account of my actions."

Everybody stood silent. After all, a student refusing House Points? That was literally unheard of.

"Very well. Then the new total is in fourth place, Hufflepuff with three hundred and fifty two points, In third Place, Ravenclaw with four hundred and twenty six, second Gryffindor with four hundred and thirty two, and Slytherin with four hundred and seventy two. Thus Slytherin wins the House Cup."

The Slytherins cheered, and the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs all glared at Draco for ensuring that Gryffindor would not win the House Cup. Draco didn't really care. He righted a wrong that he was still bitter about. And he was going home for a while with his Death Eater family, but never refuse a chance to get closer to your enemy.

Draco had almost forgotten about the exam results coming in, and as expected, Draco got all O's. He was second best in the year, with Hermione slightly above him. Oddly enough, Draco was not jealous, nor was he bitter, for he knew that Hermione earned her results, while Draco basically cheated. Harry got good marks, not straight O's mind you, but they were respectable. Neville scraped through, and so, oddly had Crabbe and Goyle, but as he knew they were going to make it, he wasn't too disappointed.

Then, they were packed, Neville's toad was found at the restrooms, notes were passed to the students warning them not to practice magic out of Hogwarts, and they found themselves in the train. After a while, they found themselves in Muggle clothing.

At the station, they found Harry's relatives, Petunia and Dudley. Draco had the urge to turn them into shrews, but he resisted it, after all, he heard that Vermin disappeared during the summer. He also ate pork chops with Severus, but that was surely just a coincidence.

"Hermione, I might need an escape from my prison," Draco said.

"I'll ask my parents to invite you over during the summer."

"Thanks. Oh, and Harry, make sure to write."

"Have a good holiday Harry," Hermione said.

"Oh I will, the Dursley's don't know I'm not allowed to use magic out of school." Harry replied. "I'm sure you'll be glad to go home Draco."

"I'm not going home, not really," Draco replied.

The End of Book 1.

A/N: Thanks or sticking along for the ride. I loved writing this, and this is the first multi-part story I'd ever done. Draco has no mercy for his enemies and he shouldn't. After all, they chose their side, and he chose his. Also, I initially had Ravenclaw with four hundred and fifty one points for winning the Quidditch House Cup. Sadly, I realized that Ravenclaw won the Quidditch cup in the original time line, so the book was an accurate portrayal of points. On a second note, I'll start Book 2 at a later date. I need to organize it, and determine what he changes and what he doesn't. After all, I hated the Chamber of Secrets, and I want Book 2 to be interesting enough to read all the way through.


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